If I Knew Then,
by DarkDaughter1318
Summary: Sequel to Secrets,Love,&Lies! Bailey's now seven years old, and is leaving for St. Vladimirs. With Rose taking back her rightful place as Lissa's guardian, things start to get crazy. What happens when things don't go as planned, what if someone gets hurt?
1. Happy Birthday Bailey!

**A/N: Alright guys… You wanted it, you've got it. I'm starting on the sequel to Secrets, Love, and Lies. I loved writing that story so much, so I'm going to continue on, and see what I can do with it. I've got some pretty good ideas about some cool stuff to put in this one. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, by the way… with the holidays, and then school exams, it's taken me forever to get back into the swing of things. I hope you guys enjoy 'If I Knew Then'! **

_**Set Three Years After Secrets, Love, And Lies. **_

"God, where is he?" I demanded. Dimitri chuckled, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Rose, he'll be here. Give him some credit, Jeez." Dimitri said. I rolled my eyes. Today was Bailey's seventh birthday and we were throwing her a surprise party. The ballroom was completely decked out in birthday decorations, done by none other than the queen herself, Vasilisa Dragomir-Ozera. Adrian had Bailey's gifts, because we didn't want to take the chance on her finding them back in our room. I'd told Christian to have Bailey here at eight o' clock. Eight was approaching fast, and Adrian was still no where to be seen.

"I swear if he's not here within-" I was cut off by his voice behind me.

"Oh, will you shut up." He snapped. I turned to find him laying Bailey's bags on the table with the rest of the gifts everyone had brought her. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he smiled.

"What took you so long Ivashkov?" He asked. He chuckled.

"I picked up a stranger on the way here." I looked towards the door to see my mother walk in. I smiled.

"Mom." I said. She beamed back at me.

"Hello Rose." She walked over to me, and wrapped her arms around me. I'd called and invited her, but she'd told me she wasn't going to be able to make it. I knew it would upset Bailey, but my mother was a guardian. _They come first. _

"What are you doing here?" I asked. She shrugged.

"It shouldn't matter. I'm here." She said. I chuckled, and hugged her again.

"Bailey is going to be so happy you're here."

"I know. That's exactly why I'm here. I've missed her. I've missed you too." She said. I grinned.

"We've missed you too." I told her. I looked down at my watch. I looked at the humongous group of people we'd gathered for Bailey's party. All the kids from the preschool she used to attend were here, along with all of the guardians she'd managed to wrap around her fingers. Lissa walked over to me.

"It's almost time." She said. I nodded. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Alright everybody… it's almost time, so get ready." Everyone nodded, and the room went silent, except for a few whispers. Dimitri took my hand, and smiled.

"Think she'll like it?" He asked. I grinned up at him.

"She'll love it." He nodded. The door opened, and Bailey stepped in, Christian trailing behind her.

The entire room erupted into a chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" I watched as Bailey's eyes went wide and she froze. Her eyes found mine, and her face lit up. I couldn't stand it. I released Dimitri's hand, and ran to her, almost tackling her into a hug.

"Happy birthday baby." I said. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me close.

"Thank you momma." She said. I grinned as I pulled away from her. Dimitri was next to grab her. He picked her up and swung her around in his arms.

"Happy birthday." He said. She giggled.

"Thanks daddy."

"You're growing up so fast, I can't stand it." He told her. She shrugged.

"I'm only seven dad. Calm down." She told him. Dimitri and I looked at each other and laughed. She then went around to everyone, hugging each of them, and talking. When she got to my mother, Bailey freaked out. She hadn't known she was here, and she hadn't seen her since last fall.

"Happy Birthday honey." My mother said. Bailey latched onto her, squeezing her tight.

"God, I've missed you grandma."

"I know. I've missed you too." Mom said. They embraced for a little bit longer before Bailey walked over to me, and hugged me again.

"I don't know how I didn't see this coming." She said.

"Why?" I asked, grinning.

"I was kind of suspicious as to why you sent me off with Uncle Christian on my birthday." Dimitri and I laughed.

"Yeah, I was hoping he could entertain you long enough for us to get set up." I told her. She grinned.

"Yeah, Uncle Christian is fun to beat up on. It kept me entertained." She said. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Whatever." He said.

"Honey, your supposed to protect them, not beat up on them." I said, grinning.

"But mom-" She complained, giggling.

"Oh well… maybe he's an exception." I told her.

"ROSE!" Christian exclaimed. I smiled.

"Just take it a little easy on him. We all know he's a wuss." I told her. She nodded, and laughed, running off to go talk to some of her friends.

"Can't wait to have kids of your own huh?" I asked Christian. He chuckled.

"I'll have to make sure to keep my kids away from you and Bailey so they wont beat the crap out of me too." He told me. I laughed.

"Like that'll happen." I said, laughing Dimitri was shaking his head at me.

"You think we should do gifts now? Some guardians here do have duties elsewhere." He said. I chuckled, and nodded.

"Yeah, your right. I forgot." I called Bailey back over, and grinned.

"We're going to presents now so you can thank everyone, Kay? Some guardians here have to work." I said. She nodded.

"Okay." She said. I walked over to the table, and eventually got everyone's attention, so they gathered around.

"Where do I start?" She asked.

"Where ever you want, birthday girl." I said, patting her head. She rolled her eyes a little bit, but smiled.

"Okay…" She grabbed a bag and read the tag.

"From Adrian." She said, turning to grin at him. He beamed back at her. She pulled the paper out of the small bag, and revealed a small box, one that looks like it contained an necklace. Of course he'd buy her jewelry. I think that's what he bought everyone for every occasion. She opened the box and smiled. In the box set a gold necklace with a beautiful blue star pendant. It was gorgeous, and sparkled in the light.

"It's so pretty." She murmured. He grinned.

"I thought you'd like it."

"I love it." She said.

"Keep digging." He told her. Obviously there was more. She reached into the bottom and pulled out what looked like a credit card.

"Adrian." I warned. He smiled.

"It's a gift card for the mall. Calm down. I wouldn't give her an actually credit card. Not till she's sixteen." He said, chuckling. I shook my head.

"How much is on it?" I asked.

"One fifty." He answered, unashamed of how much he was spoiling her.

"Jeez." I said. Bailey grinned.

"Mommy, will you take me to the mall later?" She asked.

"No, now open the rest of them." I said, smiling. She handed me the card so she wouldn't lose it. She put the box back in the bag, and set it on the ground next to her chair. She then grabbed another bag, and looked at the tag.

"Guardian Meredith." She said, turning around and grinning at her. Meredith smiled. Bailey opened the bag, and pulled out a large box. Another board game for her to obsess over. _Monopoly. _Bailey giggled.

"Yay. A new board game. I was really getting tired of _Sorry._" She told Meredith. Meredith nodded.

"I know. That's why I got it for you. That game goes on forever, and I loved it as a kid." She said.

"Thank you." Bailey cooed at her. Meredith grinned.

"Your welcome honey." She said. I never really understood Bailey's obsession with board games. That was just like I never understood Dimitri's obsession with old western novels, but whatever. She laid the box on the ground, and moved the bag out of the way. She went through her presents quick. Before long she only had a few bags left. She grabbed the last few bags, and pulled them closer to her. She grabbed one bag, and pulled it in front of her. It was one from Dimitri and I. I'd went to the mall a few weeks back with Liss, and just picked out a shit load of clothes that I knew she'd love. She smiled when she read the tag. She opened it, and smiled as she pulled out all kinds of shirts, and pants. I got her a few dresses, and skirts too, but mostly things she could run around and play in. Bailey wasn't very girlie. She smiled at all of it.

"They're all so cute, mom." She said, looking at me.

"I know. I know. Mommy has an amazing fashion sense." I said. She giggled.

"I love them." She said. I helped her stuff them all back in here, but before I could shove one of the dresses back in there, she grabbed it.

"Hey… when I get done with these, can I go put this on. It's really pretty." She said. I grinned, and nodded.

"Yes. I'll hold onto it." I said, grabbing the dress, and putting the bag on the ground. She grabbed another bag and read the tag.

"From Auntie Liss and Uncle Christian." She said, wrinkling her nose at Christian playfully. I laughed, and Christian shook his head. She opened the bag, and pulled out a small plastic case. I'd already known what it was, but her eyes lit up.

"You. Got. Me. An. IPOD?" She said. Liss smiled.

"I did." She said. Bailey grinned.

"I love it. I love it. Thank you so much." She said. I grinned. She hugged the case, and giggled. She then placed it back into the bag, and set it on the floor. There was one bag, and one card left on the table. She grabbed the card, which surprised me. Dimitri grinned.

"From the Belikov's." She said. She turned and looked at Dimitri.

"Grandma?" She asked. He nodded. She opened the card, and began reading. It never ceased to amaze me how she'd learned to read so well, and hadn't even been in a real school yet. Something fell out of the card, but she caught it. It was a hundred dollar bill. I turned to Dimitri and frowned.

"They didn't." I said. He nodded.

"They did. I tried to tell them." He said. I shook my head.

"I hope you have an amazing birthday little one, from Grandma. Happy Birthday Bailey, I hope you have an awesome day. Tell your mommy and daddy I said hello, from Sonya. Happy Birthday Bailey, I miss you, Love Paul. Hope you have an amazing day sweetheart, miss you, love Viktoria. Happy Birthday sugar. I hope you have a day as amazing as you, love Karolina. Happy birthday Bailey, from Yeva." She smiled, and turned to look at me.

"I miss them." She said. I could tell she sincerely meant it. I missed them too. I'd talked to them a few times, but I hadn't seen them since our wedding.

"I know. I miss them too." I told her. I looked up at Dimitri to see him looking down at the floor. I squeezed his hand, and he looked up at me. I knew he missed them too. I knew he missed them a lot, probably more than Bailey and I combined. She handed me the money, but left the card on the table. She then grabbed the last bag and read the tag.

"From mommy, and daddy." She read aloud. I smiled. She opened the bag, and pull out a stack of three movies. _Despicable me, Tim Burtons, Alice in Wonderland, _and _The Game Plan. _She smiled.

"My favorite movies." She said. I nodded.

"Yes ma'am." She giggled.

"Keep digging." I told her. She reached in again, and pulled out a thing full of almost every color of nail polish known to woman. She turned and looked at me.

"You know your going to be painting my nails later, right?" She asked. I nodded.

"I know. I know." I told her. She grinned.

"Good." She said. I chuckled.

"Dig one more time." I said. She nodded, and reached in, pulling out a small box. She opened it, and turned to me.

"It's… it's pretty. What is it?" She asked. I giggled.

"It used to be mine. My momma gave it to me. It's a Nazar. There's a legend that says that if you wear one, it will protect you from evil." I said. She smiled.

"It used to be yours?" She asked.

"It was."

"Will you put it on me?" She asked, pulling it out of the box. I nodded, and helped her put it on. She grinned. She stood up, and wrapped her arms tight around me.

"Thank you for everything momma." She murmured.

"Your welcome baby. You deserve it." She released me, and hugged Dimitri tightly.

"Thank you daddy." He nodded.

"Your welcome baby." He said. She then made her way around to everyone and hugged them, and thanked them for coming. I had a few people come over to me and tell me about what an amazing girl she was, and how mature she was for her age. I just smiled and thanked them. I knew. She was the most amazing little girl. Yeah, I was a little biased, but what could I say. She was my baby girl. A few guardian's had to leave, but a bunch of people stayed. Liss went and had the DJ turn the music on. She made sure to make a list of Bailey's favorite songs. I told everyone to stay put, and Bailey and I would be right back. We ran upstairs really fast to change Bailey into the dress she wanted to wear. She took it into her room, and changed into it. She grinned at me.

"Does it look good?"

"Amazing." I told her. She grinned.

"Don't you have a dress sort of like this?" She asked. I nodded.

"I do."

"Will you put it on? We can look alike." She said. I grinned.

"Yes. I will." I went, and changed, putting on the only white dress I owned. It was the dress Lissa had bought me for my wedding. It was gorgeous and flowed, just like the one Bailey had on. Mine was a little shorter than hers though, for obvious reasons, but we looked alike. I grabbed the scrunchi out of her hair, and letting it fall down in curls around her face. I grinned and grabbed her hand, taking her to the large guilt framed mirror in my room. She grinned.

"We look alike now." She said. I nodded.

"You know, when you were younger, all I saw was Dimitri when I looked at you, but now that your growing up, your starting to look more like me." I said.

"I'm glad. Your beautiful. I want to look just like you." She said. I felt tears well to my eyes.

"I love you baby." I murmured.

"I love you too momma."

"Did you have a good birthday so far?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Now, lets go make it even better." She said, taking my hand. We started out, heading back to the ballroom to continue her amazing birthday party.


	2. Mother Of The Year!

When we walked back into the ballroom, I swear, all eyes were on us. She looked up at me.

"Is it just me, or is everyone staring?" She asked. I chuckled.

"They're staring. It's because we're so hott." I told her, causing her to laugh. Adrian walked over to her, and grinned.

"Hello there gorgeous, can I ask what happened to Bailey Belikov?" He said. She pushed him playfully.

"Shut up Adrian, you know its still me." She said. He nodded. I looked up to see Dimitri across the ballroom, staring directly at me. I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him a little before looking away. I knew that he'd have to come over to me then. He wouldn't be able to stand it. As I stood there, listening to Adrian try and talk bailey into dancing with him, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I grinned before turning around.

"Well, hello there." I said.

"Hello ma'am. I couldn't help but notice, you look ravishing this evening."

"Why thank you." I said, curtsying a little. He smiled. One of Baileys favorite songs started playing.

"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" He asked, extending his hand for me to take it. I smiled.

"I'd love to." I assured him. I took his hand, and allowed him to take me out to the dance floor. He whirled me around, and took me into his arms.

"You really do look amazing." He told me. "Why'd you change?"

"Bailey's request."

"Ahh." He said, nodding. I grinned.

"You know… I was thinking earlier, after Bailey read our families card… maybe we should take a trip to Russia before she starts school." I said. He raised an eyebrow, and his eyes lit up.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Yeah. Bailey misses them, I miss them, you miss them. We're about due for a visit. It's been three years." I said.

"Three years and twenty one days to be exact." I grinned at him. He was talking about our wedding. That was the last time we'd seen them.

"Well, its nice to know someone keeps up." I told him. He nodded.

"It was one of the best days of my life. How could I not keep up?" He asked. I chuckled.

"Guess that makes me a shitty wife." Dimitri shook his head.

"Wrong. I'm the luckiest man in the world." He said, pressing his lips to my forehead. I smiled.

"Have I told you I love you today?" I asked.

"You might have, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again. You know, its been three years, and twenty one days, and I still feel like I'm dreaming."

"I love you." I murmured, sincerity dripping off my words. He smiled.

"I love you too Roza." He said. I saw him look over my shoulder, and he frowned, sort of tensing up a little.

"What?" I asked, turning. Bailey was dancing, but she wasn't dancing with Adrian. The little boy looked familiar. He looked about a year older than Bailey, but they were dancing together. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"Oh don't even. Let her dance with him." I told him, pulling his face to look at me.

"She's only seven. She shouldn't be that close to any boy yet."

"It's her birthday, you let her do what she wants. I think its cute." I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"You would." He snapped, playfully. I giggled. The song slowly came to an end and I turned and watched as Bailey and the boy she'd been dancing with smiled bashfully at each other and started to walk away.

"Bailey?" I called. She turned to me, and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Come here for a second, please." I said. She nodded, and walked over to me. The boy looked after her, but turned and went back to the group of kids.

"Who was that?" Dimitri asked, voice hard. I looked up at him, and pushed him away.

"You go that way… go find something productive to do." I said. He chuckled, and walked towards Adrian and Christian.

"Who was that?" I asked. She smiled a little, and blushed a little.

"His names Keith. I went to school with him before." I nodded.

"You two looked cute together."

"Thanks." She said, grinning. "Was daddy mad I danced with him?" She looked around me at Dimitri talking to Adrian.

"No. He wasn't mad. He was surprised, and went into daddy mode. He wasn't mad." She nodded.

"So I'm not in trouble?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Nope. I'm proud of you. He's cute. Go get em' girl." I said, nudging her gently back towards the group of kids. She giggled, and strutted back over to the group. I turned and walked over towards Dimitri and the guys. Adrian was watching Bailey.

"She's just like you Rose. Got the boys wrapped around her fingers already." He said. I rubbed my knuckles against my dress.

"I taught her well. She knows what she's doing." I said, smiling. Dimitri was frowning at me. I pushed him playfully.

"Don't give me that look. She's my daughter. What'd you expect?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"She's going to be a heartbreaker, just like her momma." Adrian told me. I nodded.

"That's right. That's my girl." I said. Dimitri was shaking his head.

"Your going to have your hands full." Christian told Dimitri. Dimitri gave me a look and smiled.

"I already do." He said. I growled at him.

"Don't make me hurt you." I snapped, smiling.

"And that's my que to go. When threats are made by an ex Hathaway or Belikov, I'm out of here." Christian said.

"Right behind you." Adrian seconded, walking off. I giggled.

"Got rid of them quick, huh?" Dimitri nodded.

"Sure did." He said, pulling me into his arms. I smiled, and laid my head against his chest. I pulled away, and wrapped an arm around his waist, staring across the room at Bailey and her friends all dancing to a Katy Perry song.

"She's growing up way to fast." He said.

"We'll be sending her off to school in a few months." I mumbled. I didn't like thinking about it. I hated thinking about it to be quite honest. That was definitely something I wasn't looking forward too.

"I'm definitely dreading it." He said. I nodded.

"I know exactly how you feel."

"She's so much like you now. It's amazing how much she's changed in three years." He said.

"I know. I love it."

"She's going to be an amazing guardian." He assured me.

"I know. She'll be just like her daddy."

"She'll be just like her mother." He corrected me. I shook my head.

"No. Her mother left her charge to take care of her family. Her father would never do that."

"I would have in a heartbeat. I would have given it all up the same way you did for us." He said. I sighed.

"I hope she never has to make that decision."

"She wont. She wont ever." He said. I smiled.

"She wont be pregnant at eighteen." I said. His face became serious.

"Someone will die." He assured me. I giggled.

"Calm down, Comrade. We know that isn't going to happen." I said. He nodded.

"Good." He almost growled. I smiled.

"Does that mean you don't approve what happened to me at eighteen?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I didn't approve of your age at the time you got pregnant, no." He said. I nodded.

"Understandable." I said. Liss walked over to us, and grinned.

"Bailey's working it, isn't she?" I giggled.

"Yes ma'am. I taught her well." I said. Dimitri groaned, and walked away from us. I laughed, and pushed him a little.

"Go away." I said. He chuckled, and walked away.

"The party's going really good." She said. I nodded.

"It's going way better than I expected." I told her. She giggled.

"Come on. I organized most of this. How did you expect it to go anything less than perfect?" I smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." I said. Christian walked over to her, and extended his hand to her.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Of course I would." She said, taking his hand and allowing him to take her out to the dance floor. The party went on for at least another two hours before people started leaving. Only a few of Bailey's friends, their parents, and then our crew was left. My mother approached me, and sighed.

"It's about time I get back." She said. I nodded.

"Your probably right. Thank you so much for coming. It meant so much to her." I said, looking across the room to Bailey. She smiled.

"I know. I'm glad I got to see her. I'm glad I got to see all of you." She said, looking at me, and then Lissa standing next to me. Liss smiled.

"It was good to see you too Janine." Liss said. My mother wrapped her arms around me, and held me.

"I love you Rose." She said.

"Love you too mom." When she pulled away, she grinned.

"Rose, I know I wasn't there for a lot of your life… I know I wasn't much of a mother to you. I'm sorry for that, but I just thought I'd let you know… your doing an amazing job with Bailey. You're a much better mother than I was." She said. I just stared at her, not really sure what to say.

"Bye Rose." She said, kissing my forehead. She turned around, and walked towards Bailey. I just stood there, not really able to regain any sort of composure. She'd finally apologized. All those years at St. Vladimirs, all I could think about was about how my mother dumped me there, and ran off with her charge, putting her job before me. I wasn't sure how to react.

"Rose?" Liss said. I turned to her.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You don't look fine." She said.

"I'm… fine." I said, feeling the tears well to my eyes. I turned, going to head for the door when I ran smack into Dimitri. I met his eyes for a second.

"Rose?" He asked. I shook my head and walked around him.

"Just give me a minute." I called behind me as I walked to the door and stepped outside. I took a few deep breaths and let a few tears fall. I heard the door open, expecting to see Dimitri, but it wasn't. It was Christian. He looked at me, and his face changed.

"Oh god, Rose. Are you okay?" He asked. "Do I need to go get Dimitri?" He started to walk back in. I grabbed him, and shook my head.

"No. I'm fine. I'm just… I just needed a minute." I told him. He met my eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My mom… she just… it's a long story." I told him.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked. I smiled at him.

"Why do you sound so worried?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Rose, you don't cry for no reason." He said. I sighed.

"My mother… back at St. Vladimir's, I hated her. I just fumed over how she'd left me there, and never called, never wrote me, nothing. It was almost like I didn't have a mother. She came to hug me and tell me goodbye a little while ago, and she… she apologized. She said she regretted not being in my life." I told him. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear her say that."

"Wow." He said. I nodded.

"She also told me I was a better mother than she was."

"Rose, I think you're a better mother than everyone." Christian said. I grinned.

"Awe, your just sucking up so I'll call her off." I teased, poking him. He smiled, but shook his head at me.

"No. I'm serious. Rose, you're an amazing mother. You have no idea. Bailey idolizes you. You've taken such good care of her. You gave up what you've always wanted most to take care of her. You gave up so much for her. You are an amazing mother. I knew you would be the moment we walked into the delivery room after you had her." He said.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"The way you looked down at her, gazed at her like she was the most beautiful thing in your world. I've known since then, and you've done nothing but prove me right so far." I couldn't help but smiled. I leaned forward and pulled Christian into a hug.

"Thank you." I said. He chuckled and patted my back.

"No problem." He said. I released him, and took a deep breath. I turned and walked back in. Dimitri was standing by the door, waiting for me obviously.

"Everything okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"What happened?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" He nodded, and wrapped an arm around my waist. The last few people left, leaving Bailey, Dimitri, Lissa, Adrian, Christian, and I in the ballroom.

"Time to clean up this mess." Liss said. Adrian chuckled, and started towards the door.

"That's my que to go." He said. I grabbed his wrist.

"Oh no, spirit boy.. You're helping to. This is a group effort." He groaned.

"Please, don't make me." He begged.

"I will make you. Now, you and Dimitri can start hauling Bailey's gifts upstairs." I told him. I turned to Dimitri.

"Make sure he doesn't escape." I said. Dimitri chuckled.

"I'll be sure to do that." He said. They grabbed the bags, and started out the doors and upstairs. Liss, Christian and I started picking things up, and tearing down decorations. Bailey was talking to Lissa as she pulled streamers down. It took us awhile, but we finally got everything pulled down, picked up, and thrown away. Adrian was the first one to bolt. Bailey had passed out in one of the chairs, tired from all the excitement. When we were sure we'd gotten everything, I picked her up, and followed Dimitri upstairs. I went into her room, and laid her down, tucking her into her bed. I pressed my lips to her forehead, and smiled down into her peacefully sleeping face.

"Happy Birthday baby," I murmured before walking out and shutting the door quietly behind me. I walked out into Dimitri's arms. We walked silently into our room, and changed, crawling into bed. I laid my head against his chest.

"Dimitri, am I a good mother?" I asked. He kissed the top of my head.

"The best." He murmured. I smiled and looked up at him, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

"Goodnight." I whispered, before closing my eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Signing My Soul Away!

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri's arms wrapped securely around my waist. I smiled and started tracing small patterns on the back of his hand. I watched as his eyes fluttered, and opened. He smiled.

"What a wonderful thing to wake up too." He said, leaning forward and kissing my nose I grinned.

"Awe." I murmured. I pressed a kiss to his lips, and giggled, snuggling myself closer to his warm body. He opened his arms wider, bringing me closer.

"How as you this morning?" He asked. I pressed a kiss to his collarbone.

"Good."

"You never told me what your little… break-down was about yesterday." He said. I chuckled.

"I knew you wouldn't let me out of that." He grinned at me.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have too." He said, using reverse psychology on me. I groaned.

"You and the reverse psychology man. You don't play fair." I complained.

"I didn't mean-" I placed a hand over his mouth.

"Don't even." I said. He smiled a little.

"I'd like to know, but you don't have to tell me." He told me, sincerity dripping from his words. I nodded.

"Remember, how back at St. Vladimirs… how I always complained about my mother never being a mother, and how she'd abandoned me, and everything?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes. You voiced those opinions a lot."

"I know. Anyway, when my mother came to hug me before she left… she.. She apologized for not being there, and said how she regretted not being a bigger part of my life. It was just sort of surreal, because I remembered a time when that was all I wanted to hear." I told him. He nodded.

"I understand, Roza."

"She also told me I was a way better mother than she was." I said.

"That explains your question last night." He told me. I nodded.

"I was just wondering was all." I said. He smiled.

"You're an amazing mother. You'd win mother of the year award every year in my book." He assured me, nuzzling his face into my hair. I giggled. I heard the bedroom door open, and Bailey was peaking her head inside.

"You guys awake?" She asked.

"Nope. We're still sleeping." I told her, sarcasm thick in my voice. She narrowed her eyes at me. She opened the door, and walked in, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Did you have a good birthday yesterday?" Dimitri asked, sitting up, pulling me with him.

"I had an amazing birthday." She corrected him.

"I'm glad." I told her.

"Me too." She said. Dimitri and I crawled out of bed, and got dressed. We all walked into the main room and sat on the couch. I painted Bailey's nails and then helped her set up her iPOD. There was a knock at the door, so Dimitri got up to get it. It was a guardian with an envelope. Dimitri looked down at it once, and extended it too me.

"What is it?" I asked. I looked down at the address, and frowned. _St. Vladimirs Academy. _I opened it, and looked down to see they were enrollment papers. My world came crashing down. The realization was hitting me harder than ever. In February, we'd be sending her off to St. Vladimirs. After awhile, Bailey's voice broke through.

"What is it, mom?"

"It's your enrollment papers to St. Vladimirs." I told her. She grinned.

"Really?" She asked. I nodded.

"When does school start for me?" She asked.

"February." I told her.

"Awesome. I can't wait." She said. I knew she was excited for school. I was too when I was her age, but now.. Looking at it from a mothers point-of-view, I definitely wasn't ready to let her go.

"I know." I said. Dimitri looked almost as troubled as I did. I folded the papers up, and shoved them into the basket on the counter. I'd have to remember to reluctantly fill those out and mail them back in later. We walked over to the couch, and sat down, watching TV. After a little while, Bailey and Dimitri got into a serious game of _Monopoly. _It was so funny, because Bailey learned things quickly. Even though Dimitri had played this game a million times throughout his life, Bailey still owned almost everything on the board. I laughed as I watched. I got up and went to the kitchen, sitting at the counter. I pulled out Bailey's enrollment papers, and slowly began filling them out. I hated it with a passion, thinking of her being there, where I couldn't protect her. I didn't like it at all. Signing these papers almost felt like I was signing away my soul. After Bailey and Dimitri finished their game, there was a knock at the door, so I got up to get it. It was Bailey's friend, Brooke, and her mother. I smiled.

"Hello." I said. Bailey rushed to the door.

"Hey Brooke." She said, out of breath.

"Hey Bailey. I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with me and my mommy today?" She asked. Bailey looked up at me.

"What are you guys going to be doing?" I asked. Brookes mom smiled.

"We're just going to be hanging out around court. We might go to the pool or something. Brooke just wanted a friend to hang out with besides me, so she asked if we could come get Bailey." She said. I grinned.

"Sure. She can go. Bailey, go get your bathing suit." I told her. She took off running into her room.

"You can come in and wait if you'd like." The both stepped in, and shut the door behind them. I walked back to the counter, and sat down.

"Have you gotten Brooke's papers for St. Vladimirs yet?" I asked her mother. She grimaced and nodded.

"Got them yesterday." She told me. I nodded.

"You seem about as enthused as we do." Dimitri told her, coming to stand by my side. She nodded.

"I'm not looking forward to it." She assured us.

"Us either." I told her. Bailey came bounding out of her room, bathing suit under her clothes, and her beach towel in hand. I grinned. She walked over and hugged me.

"Be careful please, and you know what I've told you about the deep end when I'm not there." I said. She nodded.

"Yes ma'am." She said. Brooke's mother smiled.

"I'll keep an eye on them. We'll have her home in a little bit." She assured me. I nodded.

"You guys have fun. Be careful please." I said. They nodded, and walked out. I sighed, and looked back down at the papers in front of me.

"Why are you filling those out right now? They aren't due for another month." Dimitri asked. I sighed.

"Better to get it over now, than worry about it later." I said, frowning down at them. He chuckled, and pulled them out from in front of me.

"Hey…" I said. He smiled, and put them back in the basket.

"Don't worry about these right now."

"Why?" I asked. He smiled.

"Because… right now, we've got the house to ourselves. How often does that happen?" He asked. He pressed a kiss to my lips.

"Pretty soon, we'll have this place to ourselves all the time." I said, avoiding his eyes.

"Rose, she's growing up. You know that we can't keep her here forever." He said. I sighed.

"I know. I hate it." I said.

"Me too. We have almost three months before we're shipping her anywhere. All we can do is have a great time with her while she's still here." I sighed, and nodded. He smiled, and leaned down, bringing my mouth to his. I reached up, and wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer to me. He smiled against my lips, and reached up, pulling the pony tail out of my hair, allowing it to fall around my shoulders. He pulled his lips away from my mouth and trailed kisses down my jaw, and throat. I shuddered under his lips. He smiled as he trailed his fingers through my hair. He pulled away, and laid his forehead against mine.

"I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too." He grabbed the brim of my shirt, and started to pull it over my head, when this really weird feeling crashed over me. I grabbed his hands.

"Wait!" I said. He looked at me like I'd slapped him. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" He asked, staring at me intently.

"I don't… I don't know." I jumped out of my bar stood, grabbed the keys and started running. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was running. When the pool doors came into view, I watched as guardians and paramedics were running in and out. I busted through to see Bailey, laying on the ground beside the pool.

"BAILEY." I screamed. I hit the floor by her side. She was coughing up water, but she was awake, and breathing… sort of. She looked up at me, and coughed, spitting up water. I looked for Brooke's mother.

"What happened?" I asked, tears streaming down my face. Dimitri was by my side now.

"I don't know. I turned my back for a second, and the next thing I knew, Brooke was screaming for me. Rose, I'm so sorry." I shook my head. I helped Bailey sit up, and beat on her back a little, allowing her to cough up the rest of the water she'd inhaled.

"Mommy." She whimpered.

"I'm right here baby. Come on… lets go home." I murmured. I picked her up in my arms, and held her tight against me.

"Rose, I really am-" I cut Brookes mother off with a shake of my head.

"Don't worry about it." I said, as I broke through the pool doors, and started towards our room. Bailey was staring up at me, with a scared sort of look in her eyes. She'd almost drown, I'd be scared too. She coughed a few more times, but I was pretty sure she'd gotten all the water up. When I got back to our room, Dimitri ran and got her a towel, and a change of clothes. I dried her off the best I could, and set her down on the couch. She looked up at me, and frowned.

"I'm sorry mommy." She murmured, her eyes sort of drooping. I shook my head.

"Don't apologize baby." I murmured. I helped her out of her bathing suit, and got her dressed. I gently brushed her hair, and put it up in a bun, and laid her down on the couch. I was fighting back tears the whole time, so it was really hard for me to look at her. I went and got her a blanket, and covered her up. I sat down on the floor next to her. She looked over at me, and met my eyes.

"What happened baby?" I asked.

"I… I don't know. I was underwater, swimming and I don't know what happened. I-" She stopped. I just stared at her.

"Did you.. Did you feel something? Like maybe something from Aunt Lissa or something?" I asked. She met my eyes.

"I think so. I'm not sure what it was." She admitted. "It scared me, and I.. I gasped, and I sucked in a lot of water." I looked up at Dimitri.

"When was the last time we had her ring charmed?" I asked. He thought for a second.

"It's been awhile. It's possible." He said. I nodded.

"Let me see your ring." I told her. She slid it off, and handed it to me. The magic was low, because I couldn't feel. I nodded. I slid my ring off, and slid it onto her thumb.

"Keep mine for now. I'll be back. I've got to go talk to Adrian. Dimitri.. Stay with her." I said. He nodded.

"Yes Rose, because I'm going to leave her." He said, sarcasm thick in his voice. I growled a little. Bailey giggled and I smiled at her. I kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back." I murmured. She nodded. I walked out, and the moment I was outside the door, a few tears slid down my cheek. I wiped them away, and took a deep breathe before walking to the Ivashkov wing, and to his room. I knocked and after a few minutes, he opened the door. He must have took in my troubled expression, and panicked. The first words out of his mouth were "What's wrong?"

"I need you to do me a huge favor." I said, frowning. He nodded.

"Anything." I extending Bailey's ring out to him. He narrowed his eyes.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Bailey was in the pool earlier, and she was underwater, and… something happened. I'm not sure what it is, but she thinks it might have come from Lissa. She almost drowned." I explained.

"Is she okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"She's fine. She's back at home with Dimitri, probably sleeping by now." I said. He nodded.

"Come in." He took the ring from my hand, and opened the door wider. I walked in, and turned to him.

"If your busy it can wait. I mean.. Bailey has my ring now, and there's more than enough magic in it to hold her over." I told him.

"But that leaves you without a ring, correct?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but I went a lot of years without one, I can deal with it for a little bit." I said. He shook his head.

"I'm not busy, and no.. you wont 'deal with it'. I don't like you not being protected from darkness. I'll do it." He said. He walked over to his couch, and sat down. I went into his kitchen and grabbed aspirin and a glass of water for him. He usually needed it after he was done. I set it on the table, and watched him. He held the ring between his hands, and took a deep breath before closing his eyes and focusing. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked like he might give himself a brain hemorrhage. It worried me every time I asked Adrian or Lissa to do this for me, but this was my daughter. I'd do what I had to for her. When he opened his eyes, he was breathing hard, and looked so tired. He leaned forward, and handed it too me. I felt the magic in it the moment it touched me. I set it on the table, and handed him the aspirin. I had to help him with the cup, his hands were shaking. I pulled his face up to look at me.

"Thank you." I murmured. He nodded.

"I told you I'd do anything for you and her." He slurred. I frowned.

"I hate making you do this. I'm scared its going to hurt you."

"It doesn't matter." He said, stumbling over the words as they came out of his mouth. I helped him up, and to his room. I helped him into bed, and covered him up.

"You don't know how thankful I am." I murmured. He nodded.

"I know, Rose." He murmured. I kissed his forehead.

"Thank you." I said one more time, before turning and leaving him.

"Rose?" He called.

"Yeah?" I said, before walking out.

"I love you." He said.

"Love you too Adrian." I told him. I turned and walked out, heading back to our room. When I walked in, Bailey and Dimitri were both asleep. Dimitri was sitting up against the couch, his head laid back on the arm. Bailey was snoring lightly. I walked over to her, and gently took her hand, sliding my ring off, and sliding hers back on. I watched her lips turn up at the corners, but she didn't wake up. She took a deep breath, sighed, and the started snoring lightly again. I smiled, and took a step back. I walked over to Dimitri, and knelt down, pressing my lips to his. He smiled and opened his eyes.

"Hey there." He murmured. I placed a finger to my lips, and shook my head. I extended a hand to help him up, and had him follow me into the bedroom.

"Did he charm it?" He asked. I nodded. He looked down at my hand to watch me slip my ring back on.

"Was he okay?"

"He was tired. I helped him into bed, and gave him some aspirin, and left." I told him. He nodded.

"I hate doing that too him. I hate knowing he uses so much spirit because of me and her."

"He's willing." Dimitri said.

"I know that… but it doesn't make it any better." I murmured.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine." He said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"He cares for the two of you almost as much as I do." He told me. I grinned.

"I love you." I murmured.

"Love you too." He said, before we crawled into bed, and fell into a restless sleep.


	4. The Impossible!

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri pressing kisses to the slope of my throat. I sighed in contentment at the feel of his lips on my skin. I loved waking up this way.

"Goodmorning beautiful." He murmured against my skin.

"It definitely is waking up to this." I said, opening my eyes. He looked up and met my eyes. He pressed a kiss to my lips, and smiled.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm.. I'm okay.. I think."

"You think?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know." I admitted, avoiding his gaze.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked. I nodded.

"Of course. Anything."

"How did you know Bailey was in trouble. It was like-" I cut him off.

"We're bonded?" I asked.

"That's impossible."

"It's also impossible for two dhampirs to have a child, but.. We did that. The word impossible doesn't really apply to this family, Dimitri. We're all supposed to be impossible. Me being with you was supposed to be impossible, but here we are. Me getting pregnant by you was impossible, but our baby is sleeping a room over. Bailey and me being bonded should be impossible, but I knew something was wrong with her, and went straight to her." I explained. He nodded.

"Guess your right." He murmured. I sighed.

"I don't understand it. Guess it's just another shadow-kissed effect."

"I guess." He said. I sat up, and stretched.

"I need to go check on Bailey." I rolled out of the bed, and opened the door. I went to her room, and quietly opened the door. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, snoring lightly. It sounded painful though. Every time she'd breathe out, she whimpered, probably because her throat hurt due to the water inhalation from yesterday. I wanted to get her some water, but I didn't want to wake her. She needed her sleep. I walked back out, and into our bedroom, where Dimitri still lay, waiting for me. I smiled and crawled back into his arms.

"She still sleeping?" He asked.

"She's tired." I told him, nodding.

"Drowning usually does that to you." He said, grinning. I rolled my eyes, and laid my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was one of the most beautiful sounds in my world.

"Your awfully quiet." I said, after a few minutes of silence. He kissed my head.

"My heads still reeling about how you and her are connected." He said.

"Maybe we aren't. Maybe it's a mother/daughter thing."

"That could be true, but how would you have known something was wrong at the exact time it happened, and go right to her?" He asked."I'm not sure. She's my daughter though, and I'm shadow-kissed. If she connects to Lissa through me, she's obviously connected to me too somehow. It's nothing like mine and Lissa's bond, where things hit me as hard as if they were happening to me. I just got this weird feeling something was extremely wrong, and went to her." I explained. He nodded.

"Guess we'll never know."

"It's not a bad thing though." I said. He smiled.

"I know. What are you going to do if you get that feeling while she's at school? Hop on a plane and fly to St. Vladimirs every time?" He asked.

"Damn right I will."

"Rose, you can't do that." He said.

"I know." I murmured, burying my head into his chest. He ran a hand through my hair.

"It's going to be okay. She's growing up. You know that." He said.

"I know. Every time I think of her not being with me though, I think of all the bad things. The strigoi kidnapping her, the pool, all the times she was almost killed or hurt. It scares me. What if something happens there? What if a strigoi goes after her there, and I'm not there to save her?" I asked.

"Rose, there are guardian's at the school for that." He said. "Plus, there are wards."

"And me and you know all about how easy it is for strigoi to stake the wards. We've seen it happen up close, almost lost our lives because of it." I said. I felt a rumble in his chest as he remembered back to the time right after we'd got married, when I almost died.

"There hasn't been an attack on the school in almost twelve years, Rose." He said.

"Doesn't matter. It could happen." I said, a tear leaking down my face. He must have felt it on the bare skin of his chest, because he pulled my face up to look at her.

"She's going to be completely safe."

"God, I hope your right. We only have a few more months." I murmured. We laid there in silence for awhile, enjoying being alone for a little while. It wasn't long before the door opened, and Bailey's head peaked through.

"Hey." She croaked.

"Hey baby. Come here." I said, motioning for her to join us. She snuggled herself into my arms, right between Dimitri and me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"My throat hurts." She murmured, rubbing her neck.

"It should go away eventually. It's just from all the water you inhaled." I assured her. She nodded, and sighed. She looked down at her hand, and smiled.

"Hey, I have my ring back." She observed. I grinned.

"Adrian charmed it for you last night. I slid it back on you while you were sleeping."

"Oh." She said, snuggling herself closer to me. "Was uncle Adrian alright?"

"Yes. He was tired, but I helped him into bed." I assured her. She nodded and then looked up to meet my eyes.

"I don't think I like swimming anymore." She said. I smiled.

"Yes you do. You just scared yourself. You'll be swimming again in no time. It wasn't anything you did. You're an amazing swimmer. Something happened with Lissa's magic or darkness, and it scared you. Your ring hadn't been charmed in awhile. I should have known that." I said. Being her mother, I was right. I should have remembered. I didn't though. I'd been planning her birthday, worrying about her going off to school, and obsessing over so much that… I'd completely forgotten. It made me feel horrible, but there wasn't anything I could do. We laid in our bed for awhile, just as a family, cuddled up, talking. We didn't do this often, so it felt good to just be close with Bailey and Dimitri. Dimitri started asking Bailey about what she was looking most forward too about school. Of course, she answered:

"Learning how to fight like you and mommy." Should have seen it coming.

"It's going to be awhile before you learn to seriously fight though." He told her. She nodded.

"I know, but I can't wait. I want to learn so bad." She said. I smiled and shook my head.

"You sound just like your mother." He told her. I growled, causing Bailey to giggle.

"She does not. I wasn't even into fighting and stuff until… like my eighth grade year." I snapped. He grinned.

"Sure, sure." He said. I reached around Bailey, and slapped him playfully. He growled, and jumped over Bailey to pin me to the bed.

"You should know better than to hit me, Roza." He said, chuckling.

"Bailey…a little help would be nice." I told her. She jumped up, and onto his back, trying to wrap her arms around his torso. He reached behind him, and pulled her off, throwing her onto the bed, and tickling her like crazy. She squealed and giggled, her face turning red.

"Mommy." She cried. I laughed, and got up, wrapping my arms around Dimitri and prying him off of her.

"Run Bailey.. Run." I said. She jumped up out of the bed, and ran through the door. I laughed as Dimitri grabbed me, throwing me to the bed. He chuckled as he leaned down and pressed a sensuous kiss to my lips. It sent a fire straight through my body. It should be illegal to kiss someone like that. He'd caught me off guard, so he jumped up, taking off out of the room, after Bailey.

"Bailey… Run." I cried, jumping up and following him. She was on one side of the couch, he was on the other. She was lost, and had no idea what to do. Finally, she did something that surprised me. I started laughing immediately. She sat down on the floor and curled up into a ball. She started giggling the moment I did. Dimitri just stared.

"God, Rose. She really is like you." He said. That did it. I smiled, and started after him. Dimitri was almost quicker than I was, but not quite. I grabbed him, and pushed him up against the wall.

"You wanna try that again?" I asked, smiling. Bailey was up now, watching us.

"No honey. I was only joking. I'm so extremely sorry." He said. I laughed.

"That's exactly what I thought." I said, kissing him once, and turning my back. He growled, but said nothing. Bailey walked over, and wrapped her arm around me.

"Come on. Let's get you dressed, and do your hair." I said. She nodded as we walked into her room. She picked out one of her new outfits and she got dressed. I then pulled her hair up into a pony tail, and tied a pretty piece of pink ribbon around it, and smiled.

"There you go. Perfect." I said. She giggled.

"Thank you momma."

"Your welcome." I told her, as she got up and walked out. I followed her, walking into my bedroom, as she picked up the remote to the TV. Dimitri was just pulled on another pair of jeans as I shut the door. He smiled at me."Everything okay?"

"It's fine." I said, pretending to still be mad at him for his earlier comment. I walked right past him to grab a pair of clothes but he grabbed my wrist, and pulled me back, throwing me gently to the bed.

"Hey…" I complained. He placed a finger to my lips, and pointed to the door. He leaned down, and pressed his lips gently to mine. I reached up, and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. We hadn't had much intimate, physical contact in awhile, so we took advantage of every opportunity. He ran his hands down my body, running a hand up my shirt. I shuddered at the skin on skin contact. God, I wanted him so badly. I cupped his face and gently pulled away.

"We can't." I murmured. He nodded.

"I know." He said, pressing a kiss to my neck.

"Then stop teasing." I said, pushing him off me playfully. He smiled.

"Sorry." He murmured. I grabbed my change of clothes, and went into the bathroom. I got a quick shower, did my hair, and got dressed. When I walked out, Dimitri and Bailey were watching Alice in Wonderland. Dimitri looked almost as enthralled with it as she did. I giggled.

"I'll be back." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to go check on Adrian. Then, I want to talk to Liss." I told him. He nodded.

"Alright." He got up, and kissed me.

"Bye mommy." Bailey called, never breaking her gaze from the TV. I walked out, and across Court to the Ivashkov wing. When I got to his room, I knocked and waited. No one answered. I knocked again, but no one answered. Finally, I opened the door to find Adrian on the floor.

"Adrian." I said, running to his side.

"Hey Rose." He croaked.

"What happened?"

"I got up, going to get something to eat, and my legs gave out." He said. I sighed.

"Dammit. I shouldn't have had you-" He clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Don't. I don't regret what I did. I'd do it again. It made sure she was safe from darkness. That's all that matters." He said. I felt tears well to my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wrapped an arm around his waist, and helped him up. Adrian wasn't so light when he was dead weight. I tried to get him to his feet, but every time I did, his legs turned to Jello. I scooped him up into my arms, and carried him over to his leather couch.

"Adrian, are you usually this weak after you-" He shook his head.

"God dammit." I said. He took my face in his hands.

"Stop worrying about me. You have a baby to take care of."

"Right now, she is taken care of. My worry right now is you." I said, meeting his eyes.

"I'm fine, Rose." He assured me.

"Adrian, you can't walk on your own. Your not 'fine'." I said. "And it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Rose." He snapped. I sighed.

"I might need to call your mom, have her come take care of you. I can't stay-" He grabbed my wrist.

"Don't you dare." He said. I smiled.

"What? Adrian doesn't want mommy taking care of him?" I asked.

"Rose." He warned. I giggled.

"I can't leave you here like this."

"I'll be fine." He assured me.

"Your going to be fine? Alright.. Let me see you walk." I snapped. He growled at me.

"Exactly." I said.

"Rose.. I'm going to be okay. I don't need a babysitter."

"That's exactly what you need." I said. "I can call Christian to come hang out with you." He shook his head.

"No. Rose, I'm fine."

"What about you come back to my room with me, and hang out with Bailey and us?" I asked.

"Rose, I'm fine where I'm at." He said. I sighed.

"I'm going to go get you a pair of shoes, and your coming with me." I said, walking towards his bedroom door.

"No.. Rose, don't go in there.. Please." He said, as I started for his room.

"What? Why?" I asked. "You have a girl in your bed?" He shook his head.

"Rose… just don't." He said. His face had completely changed. I hadn't ever seen him look so afraid.

"Adrian.. What's going on?" I asked. He shook his head. I turned and opened his door to see his room completely and utterly destroyed. His things were scattered everywhere like someone had let King Kong in his room.

"Adrian.. what happened?" I asked. He didn't answer, I heard a sob come from the couch though, and when I turned back around, he was crying.

"Adrian.." I said. I walked over to him, and sat down next to him. I pulled him onto my lap, and just let him cry. I didn't know what else to do for him. With his head in my lap, I just ran my fingers through his hair, and murmured that it would be okay. When he was finally able to speak, he turned to look up at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He shook his head this time, not going to lie to me anymore.

"What's going on? I need to know. I can help you." I said.

"You can't help me. No one can."

"Adrian, I need to know what's going on." I said. I could feel tears welling to my eyes, knowing something was wrong with him, but I couldn't help him.

"I'm scared, Rose." He whispered. He sat up, and wrapped his arms around me.

"Of what?" I asked, meeting his gaze.

"Darkness." He said. I pushed him back to look at him.

"Your… your feeling the affects too?" I asked.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened, last night after you left… I slept for a few hours, and woke up, and completely lost it. I don't know what happened. I've always been scared that eventually darkness would start affecting me too. I've had my moments, but they were easily fought back.. But last night, it hit me like a battering ram. I'm scared, Rose. I'm scared that it's going to consume me. I don't have a bond mate. There's no one to share the darkness with me. It's all me." He said. I just wrapped my arms around him, and held him. "I'm in this alone." He murmured. I shook my head.

"No. Your not. Your never in anything alone. I'm right here, Adrian." I whispered. " I'm right here."


	5. Eaten Alive!

I sat there for awhile with Adrian, just holding him. I knew right now, all he needed was to be comforted. That's what I was doing. When I found out I was ate up with darkness, I'd needed the same thing. I just held him in my arms, and promised him we'd get through this. It wasn't long before he fell asleep in my arms. I didn't leave though, knowing when he woke up, he could possibly go into another rage if he woke up alone. There was a knock on the door, so I as loud as possible, without waking him called 'come in'. The door opened, revealing Dimitri. I met his eyes, and frowned. I placed a finger to my lips, and shook my head. He didn't look so happy about Adrian and me being so close on the couch like this. He closed the door quietly behind him, and walked over to me. He raised an eyebrow at me, as if to ask 'what's going on?' I gently, maneuvered Adrian out of my lap, and laid him back down. I stood up, and took a deep breath. I motioned to Adrian's door and followed him over to it. He looked into it, and his face completely changed. His face was a question mark when he turned to look at me. I motioned him inside, and closed Adrian's bedroom door gently.

"What's going on? I don't understand." Dimitri said. I sighed.

"Adrian's being affected by darkness now." I whispered.

"You mean.. he did this?" He asked, motioning to Adrian's room. I nodded.

"This is my fault." I whispered.

"How is this your fault?" He asked. "He's a spirit user. It happens to all of them."

"No. Adrian's darkness was easily managed because he didn't use magic in large quantities. He used a little here and there, but nothing like what I've been forcing him to use. Its because of him charming our rings. It's why this happened." I said, motioning to the disaster area that was his room.

"He made the choice to help you." Dimitri said.

"I should have never asked him." "And what were you supposed to do? Let your daughter go on being ate up with darkness too?" He asked.

"I should have had Liss do it. I should have never asked Adrian. Liss already had problems with darkness, and then I could have taken it away from her, and we wouldn't have had a problem. Adrian should have never been dragged into this. Now it's my fault he's suffering from this now." I said.

"Rose, it isn't your fault." He said, pulling me into his arms. I shook my head.

"I have to help him, but I don't know how." I murmured.

"Rose, there's nothing you can do for him."

"I have to try." I whispered. I was still blinking back tears. Dimitri pulled me into his arms, and held me. I heard Adrian, so I walked out, and over to the couch.

"Hey." I said, kneeling down by the couch.

"Your still here?" He asked.

"I told you I was right here." I said. He looked up at Dimitri as he walked into his view.

"Dimitri… when'd you get here?" He asked.

"Just a few minutes ago. I came to see what was keeping Rose." Dimitri told him.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Adrian said. I turned to Dimitri, and gave him a look. Dimitri shook his head.

"It's okay." He said. I nodded, and looked back at Adrian.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"For now? Yeah. I don't feel like I did last night." He said. I nodded.

"You think you can stand up now?" He pushed himself up off the couch, but was standing. I smiled.

"Good." I said. "I need to go talk to Lissa and get back to Bailey. Think you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. If I need you, I know where you are." He assured me. I nodded, and kissed his forehead.

"Remember… I'm here." I murmured, before I turned my back, and took Dimitri's hand. We walked out, closing the door behind us.

"I've got to go talk to Liss."

"She's in our room. She came by looking for you, but when you weren't with her, I got worried." He said.

"I can take care of myself sir." I said, elbowing him a little.

"I know. I still worry sometimes though. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and Rose… taking on Adrian's problems probably isn't the best thing for you right now." He said.

"I can't leave him to deal with that on his own. It's my job to protect the moroi, Dimitri."

"Who are you protecting him from? Himself?" He asked, incredulously. I sighed.

"You don't understand what it's like to deal with Darkness, Dimitri. Dealing with it alone is ten times worse. He needs someone to help him through this. I can't leave him like that. He has no control over it, but I can help him through it." I said.

"Rose, you're already stressing over Bailey. She's going to school soon, you've got to get her prepared for that. Your also thinking about taking back your job as Lissa's guardian. You've got a lot to deal with right now. Taking on Adrian's problems isn't the best idea. You and I both know what happens when things become to much for you."

"I'll deal with it. I wont leave him in this alone. I can't. He's one of my best friends. He was there for me when I wasn't… myself. He was one of the few I had. I can't… I can't just walk out on him like that." I said, trying to make Dimitri see.

"Rose, it's dangerous for you."

"It's dangerous for him too." I said. Dimitri shook his head.

"Roza, I don't need you stressed out right now. We've got to much to deal with." He said.

"I'm a Hathaway. I'll get through it." I murmured. He shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." I said, taking his face in my hands. He stared at me.

"I don't need you breaking down on me, Roza. We've got a lot going on for us right now." He murmured.

"I'm strong. You know that."

"I know that. I know that… but even you can only take so much." He whispered. I pulled his face to mine, and kissed him sweetly.

"I know I'm not alone. That's enough. With that, I can make it through anything." I whispered. He nodded, and kissed me again.

"Okay." He murmured back. We walked into our room to find Liss on the couch with Bailey, playing with a toy she'd gotten for her birthday. Liss looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?" She asked, looking between Dimitri and I. I nodded.

"Everything's fine." I told her. Bailey was looking at me now.

"I think momma's lying."

"Bailey!" I snapped. She grinned.

"What?" She asked. Liss looked at me, and stood up.

"What's going on?"

"Yesterday.. Bailey almost drowned." I said. Liss looked back at Bailey, and she nodded.

"What? How?"

"We aren't exactly sure. She felt something she thought might have come from you yesterday, and it scared her. She gasped underwater, and well… that's how that cookie crumbled. The strange thing was… I knew something was wrong with her. I knew something had happened, and I ran straight to her without even thinking." I said. She stared at me.

"Does that mean you two are-?" She stopped.

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on. I'm thinking in some way or another, we're bonded. Since she's connected to you through me, she's got to be connected to me in someway, and I think it's becoming more prominent as she gets older. Our bond isn't as strong as mine and yours is though." I said. She nodded.

"Are you considering this a good or bad thing?" Liss asked. I opened my mouth to speak but Dimitri chuckled and spoke for me.

"Both. Now, if she gets one of those feelings from Bailey while she's at school, Rose is going to be freaking out." He said. I turned to glare at him. Lissa giggled a little.

"Both of you can kiss my ass." I said, smiling. Bailey giggled at that, and I clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Oops. Sorry Bailey." She smiled.

"It's okay momma." She said, continuing to play with the toy in her hand. I debated on tell Lissa about Adrian, but then I wasn't sure if he'd be too happy about that. My goal was to not piss him off. I knew what that felt like, so I kept it to myself.

"How was Uncle Adrian, momma?" Bailey asked. I nodded. _Of course._

"He was fine. He was still pretty tired, but he was okay." I lied smoothly. Dimitri said nothing, which I was thankful for.

"What happened with Adrian?" She asked.

"I have him re-charm her ring last night." I said. She nodded.

"Oh." She said. I sighed.

"I'm really hungry." I said.

"Me too." Bailey echoed.

"Me three." Dimitri said. I laughed.

"Jeez, sounds like I need to feed my family." I said. Liss laughed.

"Have fun with that. I'm going to go find Christian." She hugged me, and kissed Bailey's forehead, and walked out.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Dimitri asked.

"Tell her what?" Bailey asked, standing up and walking over to us.

"Nothing baby." I murmured. I looked back up at Dimitri. "It wasn't my business to tell. I'll let him tell her if he wants her to know. We all know Lissa's going to freak anyway." He nodded.

"Guess your right." He murmured. We went and got lunch, and brought it back to the room. We sat at the table, and ate, mostly in silence. Finally, Bailey asked.

"Mommy, is Uncle Adrian really okay? The way you and daddy were talking earlier, it doesn't sound like it." She said. She was to smart. I should have know.

"Adrian's okay, he's just.. Going through a tough time right now. You know the darkness that's inside you, and me, and Lissa?" I asked. She nodded.

"Uncle Adrian has it too now."

"But he's a spirit user. I thought he already had it." She said, confused. Her face was a question mark.

"He had darkness, but it was easily fought away. Uncle Adrian was good at it, but he's been using a lot of spirit for us lately, and I think it's caused the darkness to get stronger. He's having a tough time with it now, but mommy's going to help him, and he's going to be fine." I said.

"So it's my fault?" She asked. I smiled.

"No baby, it isn't your fault. Adrian wanted to help you." I said. She nodded.

"I want to help him too." She murmured. I smiled. She was most definitely my daughter.

"You can help him by just being there for him. When he's around, make sure you tell him that you love him. Okay?" I said. She nodded.

"I can do that." She said. When we were done with dinner, Dimitri and I cleaned up the few dishes we used, and then just lounged around. It was around four a.m. when I decided to go check on Adrian. I figured it wouldn't hurt, and I knew Ivashkov. Even if he did need me, he wouldn't come to me. Dimitri knew where I was going, the moment I said I'd be right back.

"If I'm not back in an hour, it means the moroi killed me." I said. He narrowed his eyes.

"That's not funny."

"I'm totally kidding." I said, smiling at Bailey. I kissed her, and walked out the door. I walked to his room, and knocked. I didn't hear anything from inside, until finally I heard Adrian say "Go away."

"Shit." I muttered, opening the door, and shutting it behind me. He was pacing, clutching his hair in his hands.

"Adrian." I said.

"Rose, leave." He said.

"No." I said quickly. I started towards him, but mechanically, he moved away.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What do you think is fucking wrong?" He snapped.

"It's the darkness, Adrian. You have to fight it." I told him.

"I can't." He growled.

"You can. You know you can. I believe in you." I said.

"I'm not you, Rose. I'm not a superhero. I can't do all the shit you can do. I'm me. I'm a moroi. I'm worthless. I can't do this." He said.

"You can. You know it. I know it. Adrian, I'm here. I'm going to help you."

"I've already told you, there's nothing you can do for me." He growled. I shook my head and stepped towards him.

"Rose, stop."

"Adrian Ivashkov, you listen to me, damn it. I've known you for over eight years now. You've been here for me through my ups, and my downs, my highs and lows, and you never left. You may have pissed me off a few times in between, but you've always been there. I'm going to be here for you. You and me, we're going to get through this." I said.

"There is no you and me, Rose. I'm in this alone. I have no bond mate, no one to help me through this. This is just me." He snapped. I grabbed him before he could move away, and pinned him to the wall, staring deep into his emerald eyes.

"Your wrong. We're in this together. I'm going to help you through this, just like you've helped me through everything. Soon the darkness will stabilize and you'll be able to fight it away, just like before." I assured him. I watched as his eyes gentled, and a few tears leaked down his face.

"Rose?" He murmured.

"Yeah. I'm right here." I said, running my hands through his matted hair. He shook his head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." He said.

"We're going to get you through this… okay?" I murmured. "I promise." He just nodded.

"Why don't you go to bed, and get some sleep, and I'll come back and check on you in the morning." I said, wiping the tears from his face.

"Rose, I don't think you should keep coming here." He said.

"What? Why?"

"What if I… what if I go nuts, and try and hurt you?" He asked.

"I'm not worried about it. I can handle you. Just… get some sleep…okay?" I said. He nodded.

"Okay." He murmured. He hugged me.

"Thank you." He murmured.

"Your welcome." I said. I turned and walked out, heading back towards our room, where I ran into Lissa.

"Hey. Where were you?" She asked.

"I was just with Adrian."

"Is everything okay?" She asked. I knew I had to tell her.

"Not exactly." I said.

"What's going on, Rose?"

"Adrian's being ate alive by the Darkness." I told her.

"What?" She asked. I nodded.

"I think it's from all the magic we've been having him use to charm our rings and stuff. He's having a hard time with it, and the darkness has gotten pretty bad. He just had a little bit of a breakdown, but I helped him through it, and he went to bed." I said. She shook her head.

"I was always jealous of him because he wasn't ate alive with it the way I was." She murmured. I sighed.

"I'm helping him the best I can." I assured her. She nodded.

"Is he okay?"

"He definitely needs support from all of us, but he's alright for now." I said. She nodded.

"I'm going to go talk to him in the morning." She said. I nodded.

"Okay." I said. She smiled.

"Have you seen Christian?" She asked.

"Nope. I haven't. Have you checked his Aunt's room?"

"Nope. I bet that's where he is. Thanks." She said, before walking off. I walked into my door, to find Dimitri watching TV with Bailey asleep on his lap. I smiled. He scooped her up, and took her into her room, tucking her in. I watched and smiled. It was the cutest thing ever watching him tuck her in. I walked back to the counter, and sat down with a glass of water, and a pen. I pulled out her enrollment papers, and started again, filling them out. He walked out, and walked over to me, putting his face in his hands on the opposite side of the counter. I smiled.

"How was he?" He asked.

"Having a break-down."

"Is he okay now?"

"Yeah, he's fine now. I yelled at him a little, then got him calmed down, and then sent him to bed." I said.

"Sounds like your talking about a teenage boy." Dimitri said, grinning. I chuckled.

"True." I said. "It's almost like I am talking to a teenage boy when he's in one of the outrages."

"So are you." He said, chuckling. I growled at him, as I wrote down Bailey's information onto the paper.

"My mother called earlier." He said.

"Really? How are they?" I asked. He smiled.

"They're great. They said they miss you and love you." He said.

"I love and miss them too." I said.

"They also said they sent you and Bailey something. They said it should be here sometime tomorrow." He told me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Like a gift?" I asked. He smiled and shrugged.

"You know something I don't." I accused.

"And?" He asked, grinning. I growled.

"You cheat."

"You'll see when it gets here." He assured me. I shook my head at him.

"I hate it when you do this. It makes me almost want to sleep with Bailey tonight." I said, smirking. His face fell.

"You wouldn't."

"Watch me." I said, grinning.

"Come on. Just wait. It's going to be a surprise." He said. I frowned.

"Whatever." I muttered. I finished filling out the papers, and grabbed an envelope, and a stamp. I then laid it on the table, so I wouldn't forget to mail it out tomorrow. He watched as I walked around him, and into the bedroom. I didn't look at him, or say anything. I knew he wouldn't be able to stand it. He followed me into the room, and stood by the door.

"Roza." He murmured.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you upset with me?"

"Nope." I said, popping the p. I grabbed a change of clothes, getting ready for bed, and pulled my shirt off over my head. I hadn't even heard his footsteps, but before I knew it, I was up against the bedroom wall, his body pressed firmly against mine. He brought his mouth to mine, and kissed me.

"Are you upset with me now?" He asked.

"A little." I whispered, breathless. He kissed me again, kissing me harder, letting his tongue trace my bottom lip.

"What about now?" He murmured.

"Kind of." He kissed me again, running his hands down my body, his skin on mine. I shuddered.

"How about now?" He asked. I shook my head, and smiled.

"Nope." I whispered, pulling his lips back to mine, arching my body into the perfect curve of his. He smiled, and stepped back, pulling me with him down onto the bed. I straddled his waist, knotting my fingers into his perfect brown hair. He smiled against my mouth. He rolled over, pressing his body against mine. I sighed in contentment.

"Dimitri." I whispered. He moved his mouth to my throat, my collarbone.

"Yes love?"

"We have to stop." I said, trying to break myself out of this bliss filled haze. I didn't want to stop. I wanted to keep going.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" He asked. I growled.

"Yes… No… No.." I murmured. He chuckled.

"Bailey is sleeping."

"And she could wake up at any time." I countered.

"Doubtful." He said. He pressed another one of those illegal kisses to my lips, and smiled. "I want you Roza. I need you." He murmured, his voice husky. _Dammit. _I brought his mouth back to mine. I ran my hands up underneath his shirt, and pulled it up. He made an annoyed noise at the separation of our lips. I smiled against his mouth and trailed a few kisses down his neck.

"What if she wakes up?" I asked.

"She wont." He assured me. He kissed me again, with one of those all to convincing kisses, and I moaned against his mouth.

"Damn you." I muttered, as I ran my hands down his chest to the button of his jeans, and undid them, helping him maneuver then down. I pulled myself up onto the bed, and undid my jeans, as he helped me get them off, tossing them to the side. He trailed kisses down my throat, my chest as he ran his hands under my back to the snap on my bra. He flicked it open, and pulled the material away from me. I smiled, as he brought his mouth back up to mine. I hooked two fingers inside his boxers, and maneuvered them down, exposing his hardened flesh. I threw them to the side of the bed, and smiled up at him, letting my hands wander his body. He smiled against my mouth at the feel of my hands against his skin. He maneuvered my lace pink panties down my legs, and throwing them with the pile of clothes on the floor. He brought his mouth back to mine, kissing me hard. I loved it. We hadn't been able to do anything like this in so long. I needed this. I needed him. He pulled away, and met my eyes, as if asking for permission. I smiled, and ran a hand down his bare chest, slowly he lowered himself into me. It was hard to contain the moan that wanted to escape my lips. Instead, it came out as a quiet whimper. It felt so good being pressed body to body, skin to skin, not knowing where he ended and I began. It was the most amazing feeling in the world and I loved it. I'd missed it. So much had been going on lately, Dimitri and I hadn't really had time for us. He thrust in and out of me, sending waves of heat through my body. Dimitri was careful to keep his mouth on mine, incase a moan escaped my lips a little too loudly, his mouth would muffle it. I could feel my release coming, and I knew he was close too. He thrust into me one last time, and I moaned, bucking my hips upwards at him. He shuddered, collapsing on top of me. Both of our bodies were slick with sweat, and we were both breathing hard. He pulled out of me, and rolled over onto his back. I smiled, and laid my head on his chest.

"I love you." He murmured, running a hand through my hair.

"I love you too." I whispered. We both got up, and put on clothes to sleep in, and crawled back into the bed. I curled myself into the shape of his body, and closed my eyes, falling into a deep and blissful sleep.


	6. Surprise, Surprise!

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. I rolled over, but noticed my bed was empty. I groaned. I rolled out of bed, and cracked the door open, to see Dimitri sitting with Bailey at the counter, as she ate her bowl of cereal. I grinned. I gently closed it, and grabbed a change of clothes, heading into the bathroom to shower. I showered, dried my hair, did a little make-up, and walked out. Dimitri turned and smiled at me as I walked over to him and Bailey. I kissed him sweetly, before walking over to Bailey and kissing her forehead.

"How are you this morning?" I asked her. She beamed up at me.

"I'm good." She said. I looked at Dimitri. He grinned at me, probably recalling last night.

"You know. I don't like waking up to an empty bed." I said, smiling at him. He frowned.

"My apologies ma'am." He said, bowing his head a little. I sighed.

"I guess I can forgive you this time." I told him. He chuckled.

"Thank God." He said. I smiled and winked at him. Bailey gagged a little, and then giggled. I thumped her in the head, and she grimaced.

"Not nice mom." She complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." I muttered. There was a knock at the door, and I looked to Dimitri and Bailey. Neither one of them moved.

"Oh…allow me." I said. Dimitri looked up and then laughed at me. His eyes followed me. When I opened the door, a two familiar faces stood before me.

"Hey Rose." She said. Once she spoke, I knew.

"Viktoria?" I screeched. She smiled, and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me.

"God I've missed you." I said.

"I've missed you too, Rose." She said, squeezing me. When she released me, she went after her brother. The little boy at her feet smiled up at me.

"Paul." I said, picking him up and spinning him around. "Gosh, you've gotten so big."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me." He said, chuckling. Bailey jumped down from her stool, and walked over to the reunion. Paul walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey Bailey." He said.

"Paul." She said, squeezing him.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"You said when I graduate to come see you. I graduated a month or so ago, and saved up the money… so I could come see you guys. I missed you, and of course Paul wasn't letting me go without him because he missed Bailey and his Uncle." She said, messing up Paul's hair. He slapped her hand away.

"God, I'm so happy you're here." I said, pulling her into another hug. She giggled, and hugged me back.

"How are you guys?" She asked, when I finally released her.

"We're great." Dimitri said. I grinned and nodded.

"How are you?" I asked. She smiled.

"I'm good. Graduating was tough. Trial's were hard, and I barely made it, but I did it." She said. Dimitri shook his head.

"Should have been paying more attention in class, and to training then to boys." Dimitri said.

"Hey… I wasn't-" He smiled and cut her off.

"I've been talking to mom. I've heard." He said. She growled, and looked at me.

"Was he cute?" I asked. She nodded.

"Very." I grinned, but Dimitri was narrowing his eyes at me.

"We'll talk later." I whispered. Bailey walked over and stood between Viktoria and us.

"You're going to be starting school soon, huh?" Viktoria asked her. Bailey nodded.

"And I can't wait." Bailey said. She grinned. Paul walked over to stand next to his Uncle. Dimitri ruffled his hair the same way Viktoria had.

"How are you kiddo?" Dimitri asked him.

"I'm good." Paul said, slapping at him. Bailey giggled. We all sat around talking, before Viktoria turned to me.

"Rose, I was wondering.. While I'm here, would you mind training with me a little? You know, teaching me some stuff. I'm good, but I'm not where near on you and Dimitri's level." She said. I grinned.

"I'd love too." I said. She clapped her hands.

"Yes! Thank you so much." She said. I nodded.

"No problem."

"And let me guess, you want no help from me? Correct."

"Of course I want your help to, Dimka. I just think Rose will take it a little easier on me." She said. I chuckled and so did Dimitri.

"You think Rose is going to take it easy on you?" He asked. She sighed.

"Maybe not easy, but she might be more patient with me."

"Rose… Patient?" He asked. I picked up a shoe from under the coffee table and threw it at him. It hit him, but he'd dodged most of the blow. He growled at me, but I just giggled. We hung out for a little bit, before there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, it was Adrian, but he was crying, and there was blood running down his arms.

"Adrian." I said.

"Rose.. I don't.. I just.." He didn't know what to say. It didn't take much for me to realize he'd done this to himself.

"Come in." I said, grabbing him, and pulling him inside. Bailey looked afraid, as she saw one of her role models so emotional. I sat him down in one of the bar stools..

"Dimitri, go get me the first-aid kit, please." I said, meeting his eyes. He nodded. I met Viktoria's eyes, and she gave me a questioning look. I mouthed the word 'later' and she nodded. Bailey walked over to me and Adrian, and looked up at him.

"Uncle Adrian." She murmured. He looked down and met her eyes.

"Hey sweetheart." He whispered through the tears. She reached up and took his bloody hand in hers.

"It's going to be okay. I love you." She said, the words full of sincerity and remorse. He smiled down at her.

"I love you too baby." He said. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I patted her head, and smiled.

"Go sit down with Paul." I whispered to her. She nodded and wiped her hands with a paper towel, cleaning off the blood. Dimitri laid the kit on the counter. Viktoria's voice broke through the stillness.

"Rose, you want me to take Bailey and Paul around court, find something to do?" She asked.

"You know, that's a good idea. Why don't you take them downstairs and find some trouble to get into. Just be careful please." I said. She nodded.

"I'll go with them." Dimitri said, giving me a meaningful look. He leaned down, and kissed me sweetly. "We'll be back soon. I'll have my phone on me if you need me." He said. I smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered. He grinned at me, and nodded.

"I love you." He said.

"Love you too." I murmured, as him and the other two walked out. I turned my gaze back to Adrian.

"What the fuck is all this?" I asked, motioning to his arms.

"I didn't mean too." He whispered. I shook my head.

"Adrian, you've got to learn to control this. I can't have you coming here in front of Bailey a bloody and broken mess." I said, trying to be as gentle as I could with my words. I grabbed a rag from a drawer and wet it, wiping the blood off his arms.

"I know. I didn't mean to. I wasn't going to come here, but I knew you'd be upset if I didn't. I needed you."

"Adrian." I whispered. I could see the cuts weren't all that deep. Just bloody scratches.

"What'd you do this with?" I asked. He lifted his hand to reveal his finger nails. I shook my head. I gently put medicine on his arms, and covered the cuts with bandages. When I was done, I patted his knee.

"All doctored up."

"Thank you, Rose." He murmured. I sighed. I took his face in my hands and met his gaze.

"You listen to me, okay.. When you get those feelings.. The feelings like your going to be overtaken by the darkness, just remember… You have people who care about you, people who are here for you, helping you through this. Fight it away, just like you always did before. I know you can do it, Adrian. I believe in you. You know that." I said.

"It's hard. It's so much stronger now."

"I know. You can do it though. I know you can." I whispered, wiping the tears that had leaked down his face away.

"I'll try." I whispered. "I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"Your wrong. You almost gave your life up for Bailey. You were there for me when Dimitri left me, and I needed someone. You've been here for me and for her all alone. Your one of the strongest people I know. Just remember how strong you were for Bailey and me. Remember that now, you've got to be that strong for you." I said. He took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Okay." He murmured. He stood up, and headed for the door.

"Rose?" He called behind him, before turning.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." He murmured. I nodded as he walked out, closing my door behind him. I sighed.

"God, what am I going to do with him?" I muttered. I then started out of the door, and across court to find Bailey and the rest of the gang. I used my 'bond' to her to see if I could locate her. I found them in the gym, wrestling around. I smiled as I watched Paul and Dimitri wrestle. I stood in the doorway, observing without being noticed. When Dimitri stood up, he turned around and caught me out of the corner of his eye. He smiled.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked. All eyes turned to me.

"Long enough to see you get beat up by an eight year old." I told him. He growled.

"Whatever." He snapped. I giggled.

"Is Adrian okay now?" He asked. I nodded.

"I doctored him up, and sent him on his way." I told him. He nodded. I walked over to the mat he was standing on and pushed him, playfully.

"Roza." He warned. I smiled.

"What? You scared your going to get beat again?" I asked, pushing him again. He growled, and lunged at me, but I ducked under him, and stood up. He turned to me, and grimaced. "Your such a little smart ass." He muttered just low enough for me to hear.

"Only for you baby." I murmured as he started back towards me. I threw a punch, but he blocked it. He tried to take me to the ground, but I ducked under his arm, and kicked around, knocking his legs out from under him causing him to fall. I threw myself on top of him, placing my hands over his chest.

"Dead." I whispered into his throat. Bailey and Paul started clapping. I giggled. I pressed a kiss to his lips and stood up, pulling him up with me. I giggled as I turned to Viktoria.

"Wanna play?" I asked, smirking.

"Sure." She said, leaving her spot against the wall to walk to the mat. She grinned.

"Take it easy on me." She said. I chuckled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." I said, crouching down. She smiled and we circled before she made her first move. I deflected her punch, but she kicked me, causing me to wince, but not to falter. I went back after her, throwing a punch. She took the full blow, and I used her falter to my advantage. I tried to kick her legs out from under her, but she jumped, sensing my move, and threw a punch, catching me in the shoulder. I stumbled back, but then ducked under her next punch. I then tackled her to the mat, and placed my hands over her heart.

"Dead." I said, smiling. She sighed.

"Dammit."

"You've gotten good though." I assured her.

"Not good enough apparently." She complained.

"You'll be better than good pretty soon. Like I said, I'm a much better teacher than your-" He clamped a hand over my mouth."She's lying." He said, placing his chin on my shoulder. I giggled when he removed his hand. We wrestled around in the gym some more for a little bit, before heading back upstairs to hang out in our room.


	7. Handful!

We arranged for Bailey and Paul to sleep in pallets in the living room, Viktoria was going to sleep in Bailey's room, and Dimitri and I would of course keep our own bed. When Bailey and Paul went into Bailey's room to play, Viktoria, Dimitri and I sat around the counter, talking.

"What's been going on around here since the last time we talked?" She asked.

"Not much. It's actually been pretty quiet." I said, making a face. She giggled.

"Sounds boring." She said. I nodded, but Dimitri poked me.

"We're thankful for the quietness." He said. I sighed.

"Yeah. I am. Better quiet, than being attacked and almost murdered." Dimitri growled at me.

"Sorry. Although, with Adrian's problems now.. It isn't exactly quiet." I said.

"Yeah, what was all that about?" Viktoria asked.

"You know the darkness the spirit users and their bond mates deal with right?" I asked. She nodded.

"Well, Adrian's darkness has always been easily fought away because he didn't use a lot of magic. Since we found out we could charm rings with spirit to keep the darkness away, we've been having him charm them for us. Since he's been using magic in larger quantities, it's made the darkness more prominent, and its getting hard for him to control it. He's learning, and I'm helping him… but we'll see how it goes." I said. She nodded.

"It's good he's got someone to help him." She said.

"Yeah. He's a royal pain in my ass right now, but I'm pretty much all he has." Dimitri was shaking his head.

"He doesn't approve." I told her.

"Of helping a moroi?" She asked. He growled at me.

"She's protecting him from himself. That isn't her job. He's not her moroi." Dimitri told her.

"It doesn't matter. It's her job to protect the moroi. She's not assigned, so that means if a moroi needs protection, she has to provide it." She said, I nodded, and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Whatever." He said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. He then sat back down next to me.

"How are things in Russia?" I asked her. She grinned.

"They're good." She said, nodding. I smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that." I told her.

"They miss you all." She said. I nodded.

"We miss them too. Trust me." I said. She nodded.

"So… Bailey's heading off to school soon?" She asked. I sighed.

"Had to remind me, didn't you?"

"Sorry." She said. I grinned.

"Yeah, she is."

"You thinking about taking your place as Lissa's guardian again?" She asked. I nodded.

"I'm thinking about it."

"That's awesome." She said. I sighed.

"I'll have to see how things work out with Bailey and Adrian first."

"Gotcha." She said. Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist. Bailey came out of the bedroom, yawning.

"Someone's sleepy." I said. She shook her head.

"I'm fine."

"I don't like it when you lie to me." I said, narrowing my eyes at her playfully.

"Whatever." She muttered. Paul came out a few minutes later, and looked just as sleepy.

"Why don't you guys change, and get into your pallets. I'll put a movie on and you can relax." I said. They nodded. Bailey grabbed a change of clothes and changed in my room, while Paul changed in Bailey's room. I put in Despicable Me, and dimmed the lights. Viktoria went and showered and hugged us all goodnight, and then me and Dimitri headed to bed. We changed, and I curled up against him. We stayed silent for a little bit, before I spoke.

"Do you think I should take my job back as Lissa's guardian?" I asked. He kissed my head.

"If it's what you want." He said. I shook my head.

"That's not what I asked you."

"I think you should do whatever you want to do. It's not my decision to make." He murmured.

"Would you in my position?"

"I would." He said. I smiled, and nodded.

"I'm happy your sisters here." I murmured.

"Me too. I've missed her." He said.

"I'm excited to train with her."

"She's excited to train with you." He murmured.

"I know." I whispered. We were silent for a few more minutes before he broke it.

"What did Adrian cut himself with today?" He asked.

"His own finger nails." I murmured, sighing.

"What are you going to do with him?"

"I don't know. Liss knows about the darkness now, so I'm hoping she'll help with him. I'm not sure she'll be able to help much though. Adrian doesn't trust her the way he trusts me." I said. Dimitri buried his face into my hair, and breathed in deep.

"I love you." He whispered.

"As I love you." I murmured, pressing a kiss to his lips. I closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep. It wasn't long before my dream world faded, and I was in the middle of Adrian's bedroom. He was sitting on his bed, arms wrapped around his legs, curled up in a ball.

"Hey Adrian." I said. He frowned.

"Hi."

"How you holding up kid?" I asked.

"I've definitely had better days." He told me. I walked over, and sat down on his bed in front of him.

"I've told you, you can fight this. You can do it."

"I'm not you, Rose. I'm not strong like you. I'm a moroi. I'm weak, and I don't know how to handle this. I can't do this like you did." He murmured.

"You can, and you will." I whispered.

"I saw that girl from Russia in your room earlier. What's she doing here?" He asked.

"Visiting. Her and Dimitri's nephew Paul are visiting for a little bit. I'm going to train with her, and help her out."

"Cool." Adrian said. I nodded.

"Yeah. I've missed her. I'm glad she's here." He nodded.

"Rose, Liss came by today… and I'm not sure I want her near me."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"She's not like you. She wont be able to defend herself if I go off. I don't want to hurt her." He said. I sighed.

"I'll talk to her. Right now, we both just need to sleep. I'll see you sometime tomorrow." I said.

"Okay."

"And Adrian?" I said, before he let the dream world fade.

"Yeah?"

"Please, don't cut yourself again." I told him. He nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." He said, before the dream world faded. I sighed and snuggled myself closer into Dimitri's arms. God, Adrian was a handful.


	8. Getting Worse!

**A/N: Hey guys, what's up? Haven't been on here in FOREVER. I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I've been uber busy with school, and working on a bunch of other stuff. I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated. Sorry it took me so long. I hope you guys can forgive me. Regardless, here's the next chapter of If I Knew Then. Hope you guys like it. :)**

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. I groaned, and rolled over to find Dimitri standing at his dresser looking for something to wear, wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"Mmm, lovely to wake up to." I said, giggling. He shook his head as he turned to look at me.

"Roza, Roza, Roza. What am I going to do with you?" He asked. I smiled.

"I could think of a few things." I said, seductively. He shook his head at me, as he grabbed a change of clothes. He walked over to the bed, and leaned down to give me a quick Goodmorning kiss, but I wasn't settling with that. I reached up, and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. He smiled against my mouth. He pushed himself up off me, and sighed.

"You never cease to amaze me." He said. I smiled.

"Good. That means you'll never get bored with me." I said. He chuckled.

"Me? Get bored with you? Doubtful." I nodded. He went into the bathroom, and changed his clothes, as I rolled out of bed. I grabbed a change of clothes, and showered. When I was done, I got out and changed, walking out into the living room to see Bailey and Paul at the counter, eating her bowl of cereal, and Dimitri sitting on the couch with a book.

"Please, don't tell me your starting with those again?" I begged, as I walked out. He chuckled.

"And what if I do? What then?" He asked. I smiled.

"I might have to burn them all."

"You wouldn't dare." He snapped, playfully.

"No, because I know if I did, you'd divorce me." I said, chuckling. He smiled.

"Nah, I wouldn't divorce you." I rolled my eyes.

"Where's Viktoria?" I asked.

"Gym." He answered. I nodded and sighed.

"I might need to go check on Adrian, but I really don't want to go." I said.

"Mommy, can I go with you?" Bailey asked. I shook my head.

"No baby. I don't know how Uncle Adrian's doing this morning, and if he's in a bad mood, or hurt, I don't want you to be there." She frowned, but nodded.

"Okay." She murmured. I looked at Dimitri.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Okay?" I asked. He nodded. I walked over to the couch and kissed him.

"Have fun with the kids." I said, winking at him. He growled.

"I will." He said. "Have fun with yours." I laughed.

"Good one. I'll be sure to tell him you said that." I said, grinning before walking out the door, and letting it close behind me. I walked across court, and to the Ivashkov wing. I knocked on his door, but no one answered. I slowly opened the door, preparing myself for anything. There wasn't anyone in the main room. I went to his bedroom, and knocked on the door.

"Adrian?" I called. I heard moving around, but then it got quiet.

"Adrian, please come out. I don't want to have to break this door down." I said. I heard slow footsteps, and saw the door knob move, knowing he was just on the other side of the door. It slowly opened. He looked… like hell. He had black circles under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. When I met his eyes, there was a look of rage in them. I could feel the darkness radiating off him.

"Adrian.." I murmured. He took a step forward, and I took a step back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, rage and anger dripping off his words.

"I told you I was going to come back and check on you. Adrian, come on. You've got to snap out of this. This isn't you. It's the darkness." I said. He shook his head.

"You. Its your fault I'm like this. Its your fault I'm eaten up with darkness." He said. The words were like a punch to the gut.

"No.. I mean.. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know that it was going to happen." I said. He shook his head.

"You don't care. You've never cared about me. It's always been that Russian, cradle-robbing bastard you've cared about. I've never meant anything to you, and you know it." He said. I shook my head.

"That's a lie. Adrian, I love you. I wouldn't be taking care of you if I didn't. I've saved your life numerous times. Don't tell me I don't care about you." I snapped. Uh-oh. I could feel my own darkness rearing its head.

"Quit lying to me, damn it." He snapped, slamming his fist against the wall. He took a few more steps towards me, and I took a few steps back.

"I'm not lying. Adrian, please. Snap out of it. This isn't you."

"This is me. I'm finally realizing what I should have all along." He said, coming closer, and closer. I put my hands up.

"Adrian, please stop." I said. He slapped my hands away. I almost blew up, but I kept my cool.

"Adrian.. I don't want to have to hurt you. Please." I said. He pushed me then, causing me to stumble back.

"You can't hurt me any more than you already have, Rose." He said. _Ouch. _That was a slap in the face.

"Adrian, I don't mean to-" He cut me off, by throwing a punch catching me right in the mouth. I couldn't believe that just happened. I wiped the blood away from my mouth, and lunged at him. Not with any intent of hurting him, but just restraining him to keep him from trying to hurt me anymore. When I grabbed him, I took him to the floor, straddling him, trying to restrain him. He pushed me away, and tried to get me off him, without prevail. He scratched me a couple of times, trying to do anything to get me to release him, but I wouldn't do it. Aside from the bloody lip, I now had scratches on my face and arms. I finally restrained his hands above his head, and met his gaze.

"Adrian… Stop it. This isn't you. You know I love you. It's the darkness. Please." I begged. He still fought against me.

"Get off me you bitch." He growled. I knew I had no other choice. I let go of one of his hands, and slapped him as hard as I could. His entire body froze, and I felt all of the fight drain out of him. He went completely limp, and I watched as his eyes unclouded, and my Adrian flooded back to the surface.

"Rose." He whimpered.

"I'm right here." I said, touching his face gently. He stared at me probably seeing the bruises, and bloody scratches he left. He reached up and touched my face.

"Did I…? Oh my God, I'm so sorry." He whispered. Tears started running down his face. I shook my head, and pulled him to sit up, and took his face in my hands.

"Don't. You didn't do this. Well… you did, but you didn't know. I'm fine." I said, trying to calm him down. He shook his head.

"No one's safe around me now. I need to be locked away somewhere."

"No. You do not. You listen to me. I made the choice to come here. I made the choice to stay when I knew you were like that. I could have left, but I didn't. This is my fault more than it is yours." He looked so tormented. I didn't know what else to do for him.

"Come here." I said, standing up and pulling him up with me. I pulled him over to the couch, and sat down, pulling him down to sit next to me.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't mean to hurt you." I said. I smiled.

"Adrian.. I kill strigoi for a living sweetheart. You hardly hurt me." I told him. He didn't smile like I thought he would. He frowned.

"It doesn't matter." He murmured. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before he met my gaze.

"Atleast let me heal you." He said. I shook my head, and slapped his hand away.

"NO. No more magic for you. You don't need to be freaking out on me anymore." I said. He looked like he wanted to protest, but then he changed his mind, and looked down.

"I slapped you pretty hard, are you okay?" I asked, touching his cheek. He nodded.

"I'm fine. Its not as if I don't deserve much worse anyway." He said. I grabbed his face roughly in my hands, and met his gaze.

"You listen to me. I'm fine. You didn't mean to do this to me. I'm not hurt, and your not either. It was a rough patch, yes. Regardless, I'm perfectly fine. I swear. You don't have to worry about me." I said. He shook his head, and a few more tears rolled down his cheek. We sat in silence, and he just let me hold him. I then started thinking of the things he'd said, about me never caring about him and only caring about Dimitri. I wondered if he meant that. He looked up to meet my gaze.

"What?" He asked.

"What do you mean, what?" I asked, confused.

"You look like your thinking hard about something. What's wrong?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about some of the stuff you said… earlier."

"What did I say? Oh God. Whatever it was, I didn't mean it." He assured me, panicking and sitting up to look at me.

"You said that I never loved you or cared about you, and all I ever worried about was Dimitri. You don't believe that, do you? You know I love and care about you, right?" I asked.

"Rose, I know you do. I was just screaming to have something to scream about. I didn't mean that. I promise. I know you love and care about me. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't have taken me hitting and scratching you if you didn't." He told me. I met his eyes, and nodded.

"Okay." I whispered. I sighed.

"I need to go before Dimitri gets worried and comes after me."

"He's going to come after me when he see's what I did to you." He said. He looked kind of worried. I shook my head.

"Don't worry about that. Just… get some rest, and chill out. I may come back later." I said. He nodded once. I stood up, and so did he. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered again. I shook my head.

"Don't be." He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Thank you, for being here. For bringing me out of that." I said. He nodded.

"No problem. I told you I'd be here for you. I meant it." I said. He nodded. I turned, and walked out, knowing things were getting worse with him. I didn't know how much longer he could take all the darkness before it swallowed him. I sighed as I walked across court, and too our room. I stopped and took a deep breath before I reached to open the door.


	9. Fine,Fine,Not So Fine!

When I walked in, the room was empty, Almost. Dimitri was sitting at the counter, with a cup of coffee. He looked up the moment I shut the door behind me. I watched as everything registered to him. I watched as his facial expression completely changed.

"Dimitri.. don't." I started.

"Rose, what happened?" He asked. I knew this voice all to well. This was the voice I got when I was in trouble back at St. Vladimirs. It was the voice I got when I lied to him about Bailey. It was the voice I got when he knew something happened, and I wasn't going to let him do anything about it.

"I'm fine. We went through a bit of a rough patch."

"Rough patch? Rose, look at your face." He said, voice softening a little.

"Dimitri, I'm fine. He didn't mean too. He didn't have control over himself. He's really sorry." I said.

"I'll make him sorry." He snapped. I put a firm hand on his chest.

"No, you will not. You wont say anything to him about it. You understand me?"

"Roza, look what he did to you. You can't expect me not to-" I cut him off by placing a hand over his mouth.

"It's exactly what I expect. Dimitri, you've seen me when I'm like that. You've seen how bad it can be with me. Imagine that but ten times worse because Adrian has no one to share it with. It's all him. It's eating him up inside, and there's nothing he can do to stop it. He's trying the best he can." I said, trying to argue Adrian's case.

"It doesn't look like he's trying. It looks like he's taking it out on you." He said, touching my face.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. He's a moroi. He can't hurt me that bad. Although he did surprise me. The boy can throw a punch." I said, rubbing my jaw. Dimitri growled. I smiled.

"I'm fine. He didn't mean to." I told him. He shook his head.

"Atleast tell me you hit him back once." He begged. I grinned.

"I slapped the shit out of him actually." Dimitri nodded in approval.

"Good." He said. I chuckled.

"Where is everyone?"

"Viktoria took them out to eat. I stayed behind because you weren't back yet."

"You were worried." I said.

"Naturally." He said, smiling. I nodded.

"When are they going to be back?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Viktoria said she was going to take them out, and get dinner, and hang out for a little bit. She didn't say exactly what they were going to do, so I'm not sure." He said. I nodded. He took my hand, and led me over to the stool at the counter.

"Stay." He said. I nodded. He walked to the freezer, and put some crushed ice in it. "Hold this there, and stay. I'll be back." He commanded, walking off into the bedroom. I did as he asked. He came back out with the first aid kit. I groaned. He chuckled.

"I don't wanna." I said. He shook his head.

"You don't want them to get infected." He said.

"Dhampirs rarely get infections."

"It can happen though." He said, smiling. He took out the bottle of alcohol and a piece of gauze, and pressed it to the scratches on my face. I waited for him to doctor me up, and sighed.

"They don't look that bad anymore." He said, smiling.

"Do you think Bailey will notice?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I'm thinking not." I nodded.

"Good." I said. He smiled. I started to stand up, but he pushed me back onto the stool and smiled. He then leaned down, and pulled my mouth up to his. When he pulled away, he chuckled.

"You've gotten a bit bossy lately. I like it." I said. He chuckled. He pulled away and sat down next to me.

"You know, do you remember that medicine they put Liss on back at St. Vladimirs?" He asked, turning to me. I turned to look at him and shook my head.

"Your not suggesting.." I started. He nodded.

"I am. If he's losing control to the point where he's hurting the one's he loves, he's dangerous, and something needs to be done." He said.

"Liss hated being on that. I know Adrian will too."

"It's either doing something he dislikes for a little bit, or having to be institutionalized for losing his mind. Which would you pick?" He asked. I sighed.

"I hate it when your right all the time." I muttered. I sighed, and stood up.

"I should probably go back and talk to him about it. If he's going to do it, we need to do it ASAP." I said.

"No, no. Your not going back to him by yourself. I don't trust him anymore. He hurt you last time. It wont happen again." He said, voice serious.

"Dimitri, he's going to be fine now. He got it all out of his system earlier… I mean, look at me. I think he's fine now." I said. He shook his head.

"I don't care. He doesn't-" I cut him off.

"Do you know how shitty it would make him feel if I showed up with you? He's already freaking out about what he did to me. If I show up with you tagging along, he's going to think I don't trust him."

"You shouldn't." Dimitri snapped.

"I do. So, that being said. Your going to stay here just incase Viktoria and the kids come back. I'll be back in an hour, and if I'm not, you can come looking for me. If you follow me, I will hurt you." I stood up, and took his face in my hands, giving him a seductive, but dangerous look. "Don't make me hurt you." I pressed a kiss to his lips, and he growled at me.

"You have an hour. If your not back, I'm coming after you. End of story." He said. I nodded.

"Thank you." I murmured. I kissed him again, and turned to walk out.

"I love you."

"Love you too." I said, smiling before the door closed. I walked across court, but before I could pass the main lobby, Viktoria, Bailey, and Paul spotted me.

"Momma." Bailey called. I turned to her and smiled. She skipped over to me, and hugged me. When she looked up at my face, she frowned.

"What happened to your face?" She asked.

"Nothing, mommy's fine. I promise."

"Mom, I don't like it when you lie to me." She said, face serious.

"I'll tell you later, okay? Right now, I have to go talk to Uncle Adrian." I told her. She nodded.

"Can I go with you? Please?" She asked, giving me those puppy dog eyes. She was definitely her daddy's child.

"I guess." I said, meeting Viktoria's gaze.

"If Dimitri asks, I have her, and tell him not to worry." She nodded.

"Thank you for dinner, Viktoria." Bailey said. She nodded.

"Your welcome sweetheart." I smiled.

"We'll be home in a few." I told her, before I took Bailey's hand, and started back towards the Ivashkov wing. When we got to the door, I waited and looked down at Bailey. I knelt down, and met Bailey's gaze.

"Listen to me. If Uncle Adrian isn't feeling good, and he's in one of his 'moods' I want you to leave. Okay? You know exactly where our room is, I want you to run there, okay?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes ma'am." She said. I knocked, and waited, but no one answered. I thought about coming back later, when Bailey wasn't with me, but I had to do this now. I opened the door, and stuck my head in.

"Adrian?" I called. He didn't answer.

"Shit." I said. I took Bailey's hand, and pulled her inside. I closed the door, and turned to Bailey. "Stay right here, okay? Until I say otherwise, you don't move. Got it?" I asked. She nodded. I walked over to his bedroom door, and knocked.

"Adrian? It's Rose.. Are you in there?" I asked.

"Rose?" He called.

"Yeah, it's me." I told him. I heard footsteps and slowly he walked towards the door. I prepared myself for anything, but when he opened it, he was just Adrian. He looked normal, well… normal for someone who hadn't slept in weeks. He looked to the door to see Bailey.

"Why'd you bring her here?" He asked.

"She wanted to come with me." He frowned.

"You shouldn't.." I shook my head.

"That isn't important. I have something I want to talk to you about." I said. Bailey walked over, and took my hand, standing a few feet behind me, farther away from Adrian than me.

"What's up?"

"Dimitri and I were talking, and-"

"He wants to kill me, doesn't he?" Adrian asked.

"No. He doesn't want to kill you. He wasn't very happy with you, but he doesn't want to kill you." I said. "Anyway, do you remember that medicine Lissa was on back at St. Vladimirs?"

"Oh, you mean that stuff I tried to get her to stop taking?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yes, that… Dimitri and I were thinking maybe-" He shook his head.

"Oh no." He said.

"Adrian, hear me out."

"There's nothing to hear. I'll be completely cut off from my magic, and I don't think I can live like that." He said.

"You can. Lissa did it." I said.

"It doesn't matter. She was miserable." He snapped. I could see darkness kindling in his eyes.

"Adrian, your running out of options here. You either be miserable, or you sit here, and you let this darkness eat at you. Do you know what happened to Anna? Anna had a bond mate, and she still went insane, and killed herself. I wont let that be you. Right now, this is our only option."

"It's not. I'm working on controlling it."

"Well, your not doing a good job. Adrian, I cant keep coming here if you're a risk to me, and everyone else. Your going to be locked away in here all by yourself."

"Well let me. Fuck it. I didn't ask for your fucking help, Rose. Remember that. I told you I couldn't be helped and you fucking thrust your help upon me." Okay, so I'm not going to lie, I shouldn't have smarted back, because I knew what was going on, but I did anyway.

"You would be dead already if I hadn't helped you. You would be getting no where without me." I said. I watched as his emerald eyes clouded over. I stepped in front of Bailey.

"I would not. I would have been fucking fine on my own." He snapped.

"Adrian, the medicine is only for a little bit. It's just until we can figure out what else to do. It's not forever. Liss got off her medicine." I said. It was to late to try and be civil. The darkness was at the surface, and it exploded. He lunged forward, and grabbed my throat tight, pushing me against a wall. Bailey screamed, and stumbled back. I pushed her out of the way before my back slammed against the wall.

"Bailey, Run. Go." I snapped. She took off for the door, and ran out.

"Adrian, stop this. This isn't you." I said, grabbing his face in my hands. I didn't want to hurt him again.

"Your trying to put me on that damn medicine. I don't need it. I'm doing perfectly fine on my fucking own." He growled in my face. This wasn't my Adrian anymore. This wasn't even close. His grip got tighter on my throat.

"Adrian, your hurting me. Please, this isn't you, and you know it. I love you. I'm trying to help you. Please." I whispered. He met my eyes, and there was so much rage there. "Please." I whispered again. I watched as the rage kindled out, and slowly faded. His grip loosened, and he finally realized what was happening.

"Oh God, not again." He whispered. Adrian collapsed into my arms, pushing me against the wall with his body. His front door slammed open, and there stood Dimitri. With Adrian sobbing in my arms, and Dimitri looking like he was ready to kill something, I had no idea what to do. I gave Dimitri one of my looks, but he didn't let it phase him to much.

"What the hell's going on?" He demanded.

"It's my fault. It's me. I keep… I keep hurting her. I'm sorry. I don't want to be like this anymore. I'll do it. I want the medicine. I want this to stop. Please…make it stop, Rose." Adrian begged.

"I will. I'm going to help you. I promise." I whispered. "Come on. We'll go to the infirmary right now. I'm going to fix this." I wrapped an arm around his waist, and looked at Dimitri.

"Let me do this. We'll talk… soon."

"I'm going with you." Dimitri almost growled. I just nodded, knowing telling him no would do me no good. I helped Adrian down to the infirmary, and sat with him as the lady gave him the exact same kind of medication they'd given Liss. He was to take three a day. One in the morning, one in the middle of the day, and one right before he went to bed. That should fight it off while it was so strong, and then he could lower it to one in the morning and one at night. After he took the two in the infirmary, he was dead on his feet. He hadn't slept in weeks. I helped carry him back to his room, with Dimitri tagging along. He said nothing, but I knew he was ready to explode. I put Adrian in bed, and walked out.

"I think I need some fresh air." I said. Dimitri nodded. I walked out to the back deck, and took in a deep breath. Dimitri said nothing, but I knew it was coming. I waited, and then it came.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" He asked.

"What are you talking about, I'm trying to help someone I care about?" I asked, confused.

"No. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about taking Bailey into his room when you knew he was unstable. You knew she wasn't safe there."

"She was safe. She was in my care." I snapped. Was he questioning that?

"You aren't safe there either. How can you expect to keep her safe when your not even safe in his presence?" He asked."Are you questioning my ability to keep my daughter safe? I don't know if you remember, but I kept her safe for the first three years of her life, while you ran off to Russia, and she survived. I saved her life two or three times, and so did Adrian. So, if your questioning my abilities to take care of my daughter, you can think again." I snapped. I felt bad after it all came out.

"You shouldn't have taken her there, and you know that." He growled.

"You know, I've got to much to deal with already, and you bitching at me? Definitely not helping." I said.

"These aren't even your problems to deal with." He said.

"He's my best friend. I'm all he fucking has, Dimitri. I never thought you of all people would flip out about me helping someone. I remember a time when that was all you wanted to do." I snapped.

"Rose, I don't need you getting hurt." He said.

"I will be fine. How many times do I have to tell you?" I demanded.

"Look at your face, Rose? That doesn't look 'fine'. Our daughter, the one you decided to take to an unstable and insane person's room, is at home freaking out, because she saw her Uncle Adrian attack her own mother. I wouldn't say these things are fine." He snapped.

"I don't need this right now. I'm out of here." I snapped. I tried to walk around him, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Dimitri, don't. Just let me go."

"Rose.." He started. I shook my head. I wasn't playing this game right now. I'd dealt with enough today. He met my eyes for a second, and slowly let my wrist fall from his hand. I walked back inside, and back towards our room, ready for this day to be over.


	10. Explode?

When I got to our room, Bailey and Paul were sitting on the couch watching a movie, and Viktoria was at the table reading a book. Bailey looked up the moment the door closed behind me.

"Momma." She whispered. She bailed off the couch and tackled me.

"Momma's fine. I'm fine." I promised her.

"What happened? Did daddy hurt Adrian?"

"No, baby. We took him to the infirmary to get some medicine, and then took him home to sleep. He'll be okay in a day or so, and he'll be back to our Adrian, I promise." I said.

"Why'd he grab you like that?" I sighed, knowing I'd have a lot to explain, I turned to Viktoria.

"Do you mind if Bailey and I take her room tonight?" I asked, she shook her head.

"Of course not." She said. I smiled.

"Thanks."

"Where's Dimka?" She asked. I shrugged. I wasn't in the mood to discuss her brother right now.

"Uh-oh." She said.

"It's not important right now." I went into my room, and grabbed a pair of sleep shorts, and went back into Bailey's room with her. She curled up in bed, and I sat down next to her.

"Baby, Adrian has darkness in him, and you know that, but since he doesn't have a bond mate, it's eating him up, and it keeps getting worse, and worse. That's why he attacked mommy. He had a short fuse, and mommy kept pushing him. It was my fault. I wish you wouldn't have had to see that." I said.

"I was so scared." She whispered.

"I don't think Uncle Adrian would ever hurt me intentionally." I said.

"Did he do this to you?" She asked, touching my face. I nodded.

"He did, but he didn't mean too. He felt bad after he did it." I said.

"Mommy, I'm scared Uncle Adrian's going to hurt me."

"Baby, that will never happen. Uncle Adrian got some medicine that's going to make the darkness go away."

"Why didn't he want to take it?" She asked. I forgot she'd been standing there when we were discussing it civilly.

"Because he isn't going to be able to use his magic anymore while he's on it. It puts up a barrier between the person taking it, and the magic. He'll be like a dhampir while he's on it. No magic, just Adrian." I explained.

"Now I understand why he didn't want it."

"He's on it though, and everything's going to be fine. You don't have to be scared of Uncle Adrian. I promise. Give it a day or two, and he'll be perfectly back to his old self." I said. She nodded.

"Okay." She whispered. She yawned, and snuggled deeper into the blankets. I laid down next to her, and sighed.

"Goodnight baby." I whispered.

"Night momma." She said, before closing her eyes. I laid there awhile with her, just staring at her beautiful sleeping face. Dimitri was right. I put her in danger taking her there. I shouldn't have. She was scared of him, and I didn't want that. I was dumb, so dumb. He could have went after her instead of me, and then… I would have had to kill him. I shuddered the thought of killing my best friend. I gently eased out of bed, and out her door. Dimitri and my bedroom door was closed, so I knew he was in there. I crept over to it and slid inside, quietly. Dimitri was laying with his back turned to me, but I knew for a fact he wasn't asleep. I could tell by the tension in his body. He didn't move though, so I was really good at sneaking. I tiptoed over to the bed, and crawled into it, wrapping my arms around him. He jumped a little, and rolled over to look at me.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked, like he hadn't expected to see me in here tonight. I hadn't expected to come in here either, but I was wrong, and I needed to fix it.

"I figured you'd still be awake."

"Aren't I always when we fight?" He asked.

"Yes, you are." I said, smiling a little. I sighed.

"Rose, I-" I placed a hand over his mouth. I knew what he was going to say.

"Don't. You were right. I shouldn't have taken her there. I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. I thought he was stable, but he wasn't. She was afraid of him, and I didn't want that. She doesn't have to be afraid of him, because he wouldn't hurt her. It was stupid on my part to take her, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It only took a few minutes of talking to her to realize you were right." I said. He nodded, and pulled my mouth to his, kissing me sweetly.

"And no, I wasn't questioning your ability to take care of her. He's a crazy moroi spirit user. He can do things that you can't control. Fighting and him using his magic are different. I know you protect her. I've seen it, and your right. There was three years I wasn't here, and you protected her alone." He said.

"I didn't mean to bring that up. I know you don't like thinking about it. I was just looking for something to make me seem right." I said. He smiled, and nodded.

"I know. It doesn't bother me as much anymore. I'm here now, and that's all that matters." He said. I smiled.

"Your right. I'm sorry about tonight. I wont take her there anymore until the medicine's kicked in, and I know he's stable. I promise." I said. He nodded, and kissed me.

"Okay." He whispered. I snuggled closer into his chest.

"I love you."

"I love you too Roza." He murmured into my hair. I closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep. As I slept, I felt Adrian's presence in my dreams, almost as if he were trying to come through, but it wasn't working. That meant the medicine was working. I knew as much as he hated it, it was a good thing.

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri burying his face into my hair. I giggled.

"Goodmorning." I said.

"Morning." He murmured.

"Sleep well?"

"Very." He said, chuckling. I sighed, and sat up. He groaned, and pulled me back down, jumping on top of me. "Where do you think your going?" He asked. I giggled.

"We need to get up. Viktoria, and the kids are probably up already." I argued, trying to free myself. He shook his head.

"We'll get there, eventually." He said, pulling my mouth to his. I giggled against his lips, and let myself sort of melt into his kiss.

"Do we have to get out of bed?" I asked, when he pulled away. He nodded.

"Yes, love. We do." He said. I sighed.

"Fine." I said. We both got dressed, and walked out into the living room. Liss, Christian, Viktoria, and the kids were all there.

"Woah. There's a party in my living room." I said. They laughed.

"Duh, I'm here." Christian said. I smiled.

"I've missed you guys. Haven't seen you in forever." I said.

"I know. I've been planning a lot of stuff, and Christian's been busy with his aunt." Liss said. I smiled.

"So, I haven't been by to see Adrian. How is he?" She asked.

"He…We put him on the medicine they had you on at St. Vladimirs."' I said, not going to beat around the bush.

"What? Why?" She demanded.

"He lost it, and attacked me… twice." I said. She took a few steps towards me.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Christian busted out laughing. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you laughing at?" Liss demanded.

"Adrian attacked her, and you asked if she's okay. Rose kill's strigoi. Honey, I don't think he inflicted that much damage." Christian said. I laughed along with him.

"He's right. I'm fine. I'm not going to lie, the kid can throw a punch, but he didn't hurt me." I said. Christian smiled.

"I can't believe he attacked you, of all people." Liss said. I shrugged.

"I was the only one around him the past few days." I told her. She shook her head.

"He couldn't have been happy about being on that medicine." Christian said.

"He attacked me for suggesting it." I said.

"Oh, that happy, huh?" He asked. I smiled.

"Shut up fire boy." I said. He chuckled.

"Have you heard from Adrian since he started the meds?" Liss asked. I shook my head.

"I felt him try to walk my dreams last night, but it was like there was a barrier he couldn't get through. I'm pretty sure they're working." I said.

"Are you going to go check on him later?" She asked.

"She doesn't have too." He said. I looked up to see him peeking in the door.

"Hey Adrian." I said, walking over to the door, and opening it further.

"Hey." He said, almost as if he were ashamed to talk to me.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm not feeling like I'm going to explode anymore." He said. I nodded.

"That's a good thing." I said. He nodded once. The room got really quiet, and I noticed Bailey had walked over to stand by Dimitri. I watched as Adrian's eyes fell on her.

"Hey Bailey." He said, kneeling down.

"Hi." She murmured, meeting his gaze.

"Can you come over here for a second?" He asked, giving her the choice. She met my gaze, and I smiled and nodded once. She took a few slow steps towards him and stopped right in front of him.

"I'm so sorry about what I did to your mommy. I'm so sorry you had to see that. I wasn't myself the other day. The darkness was eating me up, and I didn't mean to attack her the way I did. I didn't mean to hurt her. I know your not happy with me, and you may be a little scared of me, but I promise, that's never going to happen again." He said. She stared at him for a second, and then smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around his waist, and held her for a second.

"I'm not scared of you, or mad at you. I'm just glad your better." She murmured. That was my girl. I smiled. He released her and looked at me.

"Rose, I-" I put a hand over his mouth.

"You've apologized to me enough. I don't want to hear it anymore." I said. He chuckled.

"Fine." He said. I wrapped my arms around him and held him. He then turned to Dimitri. Dimitri shook his head.

"I get it. No need to apologize to me. If Rose and Bailey forgive you, so do I." He said. He met my gaze, and smiled. Adrian stepped forward and extended a hand. Dimitri shook it, and nodded. I was so proud of him.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Christian said. Liss smacked him. Adrian smiled.

"I've missed you guys." Adrian said, looking at Liss and Christian. Liss hugged him.

"We've missed you too." She said. I smiled. Christian wrinkled his nose.

"I could have went another week without you." He said. He smiled.

"Ouch." Adrian said, grinning.

"Just kidding. I've missed your wit." He said. Adrian nodded.

"That's what I thought." He said. Viktoria and Paul kind of stood in the background, not really saying much. I smiled at her.

"How are you Viktoria? I haven't talked to you much for the past two days. I feel bad. I'm a horrible host." I said. She grinned.

"No. Your fine. You've been busy. I understand." She said. Adrian turned to her.

"I'm sorry I've been keeping Rose. I know you guys were down here for visit them, and I've had her running around like crazy." She shook her head as she met his eyes.

"No. I understand. You've been going through a lot. We're in no hurry to get home, so it was okay. No harm done." She promised him. He smiled and nodded before turning to me.

"Rose, thank you so much. I hate not being able to use my magic, but I love not feeling like I'm going to kill someone."

"Oh, you mean you don't like feeling like Rose?" Christian asked.

"Suck it, fire crotch." I snapped at him. He chuckled.

"I'm glad. I hate that you don't like it, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about you freaking out on me anymore." I said. He nodded. In this moment, everything was great. Liss and Christian were doing well. Dimitri, Bailey, and I were perfect, Viktoria and Paul were still hanging around, and Adrian wasn't loosing his mind anymore. At this moment, everything was right in the world. Atleast, for now. That didn't last long though.


	11. Here we go again!

As we all stood in my room, chatting with each other, we heard a commotion down the hall outside our door. They busted in, and their eyes fell on Lissa.

"There's been an attack." They exclaimed. I watched as the blood drained from Lissa's face.

"Shit. Where?" She asked. The guardian's looked around at all the faces in the room.

"It was an ambush. It was all over. Not in once spot." They informed her.

"Dammit." She said. I shook my head.

"You all stay here. Dimitri, lets go." I said.

"Wait.. Rose, let me come with you." Viktoria said. I met Dimitri's gaze, and I watched as he gave a slight shake of his head.

"Not this time Viktoria, please… stay with Bailey." I said, nudging Bailey towards her. She met my gaze, and I apologized with my eyes. I know she wanted to go.

"Okay." She said, taking Bailey into her arms. I know it scared Bailey every time strigoi were near. She'd never forget being abducted, and I didn't ever expect her too. Dimitri and I hauled ass out of the room, and down the hall, through the back doors. The moment my hands touched the door, my stomach stirred. I ripped my stake from my belt, ready for a fight. The moment I opened the door, I was ambushed by two. Dimitri had one to deal with, but he didn't last long. Dimitri was then on one of the two that tried to gang up on me. I swung a few punches, threw a few kicks, and had him pinned up against the wall.

"Why do you keep coming here?" I demanded.

"Go to hell." He snarled.

"Tell me, or I'll kill you slowly."

"Your queen. We want her." He said, growling. _Of course. _I gripped my stake, and dug it into his chest until I reached his head. Then, I dropped him and followed Dimitri out into the line of battle. There weren't many left. Most guardian's had either taken them on and killed them, or died and left them for us to deal with. Dimitri and I together took out about ten. When everything looked clear, Dimitri turned to me.

"You okay?" I wondered how bloody and beaten I looked. A few of them had gotten some good hits on me, and now that the adrenaline was slowing down, I could feel the pain more.

"I'm fine. Are you?" I asked. He had a bloody nose, and was covered in scratches.

"I'm fine." He said. I nodded.

"Good." I said. He walked over, and took my hand.

"Come on. Lets get back to them."

"Do you think we got them all?" I asked. He grinned.

"You'd have to tell me." He said, patting my stomach. I smiled.

"I think we got them." I said, opening the door, and starting in. We headed upstairs, back to my room where everyone stayed. As we turned the corner to head towards it, my stomach stirred.

"No." I whispered. I pulled my stake, and released Dimitri's hand, walking the same direction. My nausea got worse and worse, until I saw him right outside our door. I tackled the strigoi, hitting him hard. He snarled as I started throwing punches. He pushed me off, and jumped up, but he didn't get any closer to our door.

"Dimitri, get inside." I called. He didn't answer, but I heard the door shut and lock. The strigoi snarled as I kicked up, and caught him right in the jaw. He lunged forward, digging his nails into my neck and shoulders, causing blood to spill down my chest and collar bone. I cried out, but I continued fighting. I threw a punch, and he stumbled back. I kicked him again, and drove my stake straight through his heart. He snarled and fought against me, trying to get me to loosen my grip, but I didn't. I kept digging until I reached my target. His snarl turned to a gurgle and he hit the floor. I yanked my stake out of his chest, and stood up. I was exhausted, and fighting him had taken so much out of me, plus the other five outside. It'd been a while since I'd fought that many strigoi. One or two every once and a while was different, but I hadn't fought that many in a long time. I walked slowly to our door, using the wall for support. I opened it, and stumbled in. I took no more than two steps in before my legs gave out on me, and I hit the floor.

"Roza." Dimitri said, as he rushed to my side.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I said, trying to get back to my feet.

"Mommy." Bailey whispered.

"Mommy's fine." I promised her. I couldn't seem to get back to my feet. Dimitri picked me up and carried me to the couch, even though he was almost as injured as I was.

"Rose, God. Your arms." He said.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Your not. Look at them." He said. I looked down to notice the scratches were deep, and looked horrible.

"It's just a scratch." I said.

"You say that every time you get hurt, don't you?" Viktoria asked. I grinned.

"Don't ruin my cover, Viktoria. Jeez." I said. She smiled at me.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." I said. Adrian looked at me, and frowned. "What?" I asked.

"I… I want to heal you… but I can't."

"I don't need you to heal me. I'm fine." I said. Dimitri took a wet wash cloth, and ran it over my arm. I heard the gasps at the gashes on my arms.

"Momma…" Bailey whispered. She walked over to me, and laid her hand on my arm, and closed her eyes. I watched as Lissa's eyes went wide. She then smiled, and closed her eyes too, letting Bailey tap into her magic. I could feel it flowing out of her, into Bailey, and through me. The gashes closed, and healed into scabbed over, pink slits. I smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered, meeting Lissa's gaze. She nodded. I hugged Bailey. "Thank you." I whispered to her too.

"Your welcome." She murmured. Viktoria shook her head.

"That's incredible. I don't think I'll ever get used to all this magic stuff. I know moroi have it and all, but it's crazy in this group." Viktoria said. Liss and I laughed. Adrian didn't look very happy. I got up, and walked over to him.

"It's okay. The medicine is only for a little bit. Your going to be able to use your magic again." I promised him. He just frowned at me. "Look, I'll walk you back to your room, alright." I said.

"You don't have-" I shook my head.

"I want to." I told him. Lissa sighed.

"I've got to go. I've got a society to calm down, I'm sure. I'll see you guys later. Thank you for helping." She said, hugging Dimitri and I.

"Bye Liss. Bye Fireboy."

"Later guys." They both said before disappearing.

"Come on, Adrian. Lets get you home."

"I'm perfectly capable of-" I cut him off.

"I know that, but I want too." I said, not letting him argue. I turned to Dimitri."I'll be back." I said. He nodded. Adrian and I walked out, and started towards his room."Rose, I'm sorry I couldn't heal you. You don't know how bad I wanted too." He said. I shook my head.

"I know, and it's fine. Adrian, the medicine isn't permanent. It's only for a little while. You'll have your magic back." I said.

"I don't like not having it. I like being able to help people." He said.

"Adrian, you don't always have to be the one to help me." I said.

"But I'm so used to it. It's like it's what I'm here to do. I've always wondered what it is I'm supposed to be doing here, and I think I figured it out. It's to take care of you, and help you." He said. I turned to him, and smiled.

"That's one of the sweetest thing's you've ever said to me." He chuckled.

"It's true." He said, as we stopped at his door. He turned to me, and I wrapped my arms tight around him.

"I'm so glad your feeling better." I murmured. I pulled away and kissed his forehead. He ran his hands over my arms, where the scars were from my fights earlier, and smiled.

"I'm glad your okay too." He said. He released me, and turned to go into his room. I turned and headed back towards our room. Bailey was working on healing Dimitri, but she looked tired.

"Baby, you can wait. You don't have to do this now." He said, trying to move away from her.

"No. I'm going to do it now." She said, grabbing him, and closing her eyes. I could tell it was draining her. I grabbed her away from him.

"Stop. Your going to hurt yourself." I said. Paul walked over to Bailey.

"Just wait Bae. You can heal Dimka tomorrow. He'll be okay." Paul said, trying to back me up. I smiled at him.

"Mommy will take care of daddy tonight, and you can heal him tomorrow." I said. I told her. She didn't look happy, but she nodded. Paul helped Bailey to the couch, and sat down next to her, patting her knee. Viktoria smiled at him. I chuckled.

"Bailey, why don't you get changed for bed, and get into your pallet." I said.

"Paul, you too." Viktoria said. He nodded, and they split to change clothes. I looked at Viktoria.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She said.

"I'm sorry you couldn't come with us out there." I told her. She shook her head.

"It's fine." She told me.

"Tomorrow, we'll train together. Okay? I promise. I've spent so much time dealing with everyone else. Tomorrow, it's me and you." I told her. I turned to Dimitri.

"You don't mind do you?" I asked. He shook his head, and smiled.

"Of course not." He said. I could tell he was still in pain. I turned back to Viktoria.

"I'll see you in the morning." I told her, before grabbing Dimitri and pulling him into the bedroom. Bailey grabbed her clothes. We both hugged and kissed her, before sending her out to get tucked in. Dimitri pulled his shirt over his head, and I flinched. He was scratched up pretty bad. I gasped. He smiled at me."I'm fine. I can't really feel them anymore. Bailey healed it mostly. It's still nasty looking though." He said. I sighed.

"Maybe we should shower." I suggested. He nodded.

"Only if you shower with me." He said, smiling. I nodded.

"I guess." I said, grinning. We grabbed a change of clothes, and got into the shower. I got all the blood off him that he couldn't see, as he did the same. He rubbed my back, getting all the knots and kinks out from today's fights.

"I was kind of scared out there today." I said, turning to look at him.

"Why's that?"

"It's been awhile since I fought that many strigoi at once." I said. "Usually it's just once or too." He nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He said. I smiled.

"Guess who's birthday's coming up soon." I said.

"Who's?"

"Your's moron." I said, giggling.

"That's right."

"What would you like for your glorious thirtieth birthday?" I asked.

"You really want to know?" I nodded.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." I told him.

"For my birthday, I want one night alone with you." He said.

"That's it?" I asked. He nodded.

"I haven't had a night alone with you in ages. I want us to go somewhere, and be alone. Spend one night away from here, away from everything, and just focus on me and you." I smiled.

"Okay." I whispered, turning around and kissing him. We both got out, dressed, and crawled into bed.

"Goodnight." I murmured.

"I love you."

"I love you too Comrade." I whispered. I felt him chuckle as I closed my eyes and fell asleep. Once again, as I slept, I felt Adrian try to dream walk me, but he was failing miserably. The barrier was thick now, and I could feel less and less of him there. The medicine was definitely kicking in, and that was a good thing.


	12. Daddy Daycare?

I woke up to Dimitri and the strong smell of his aftershave, that smell that told me I was home. I opened my eyes to see him smile down at me. He was fully dressed, and had his hair pulled back into a pony tail.

"Hey there." I said. He touched my cheek.

"Goodmorning beautiful."

"Your up early." I said. He chuckled.

"Actually honey…It's eleven o' clock." He informed me. My eyes went wide.

"Tell me your kidding." I said. He shook his head.

"Nope." I cussed. He smiled.

"It's okay." He said, kissing my forehead. "you needed your rest." I rolled my eyes.

"Why aren't you out there with Viktoria and the kids?" I asked.

"You told me you didn't like waking up to a cold bed. I'm making sure you wont." He said. I chuckled.

"Oh." He nodded. I sighed, and rolled over, wrapping my arms around him.

"Can I just stay here forever?" I groaned. My entire body ached. He smiled.

"No.. Your Viktoria's today, remember?" He asked. I sighed and nodded.

"I did say that, didn't I?" He nodded. I moaned as I started to roll off him, and get up. He grabbed me, and brought my mouth to his. I smiled.

"I'll be okay now." I murmured. He chuckled.

"Thought so." He said, smiling. I got up, and got dressed and walked out.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Gym." He told me. I nodded, and sighed. I walked over and kissed Bailey.

"How you feeling sweetheart?" I asked her.

"I'm okay." She said. "How are you?" She touched the pink slits on my arms.

"Mommy's fine." I assured her. She smiled.

"I'm going to go hang out with Aunt Viktoria, kay? You guys have fun with Daddy." I said. She nodded. "Behave." She giggled.

"Okay." She said. I turned and kissed Paul's forehead, and then turned to Dimitri.

"You think you can handle both of them together for little bit?" I asked. He chuckled.

"I kill strigoi for a living, Rose. I think I can handle two seven year olds for a few hours." He said. I giggled.

"Okay." I said. I kissed him, and smiled.

"I'll see you later, and behave with my sister."

"Oh damn, that ruins my plans to take your sister to a strip club." I said. He narrowed his eyes. I grinned.

"We'll be back later." I told him, and off I went to find his sister in the gym. As I walked, I saw Adrian walking towards his room. He smiled.

"Hey Rose. How are you feeling?" He asked. I smiled.

"I'm fine. I feel a lot better actually."

"That's good." He said, smiling.

"Where are you coming from?" I asked.

"I was getting something to eat. I ran into Viktoria earlier." He told me.

"Yeah, she was going to the gym. I'm going to meet her now."

"Oh, is it girls day?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, Dimitri's with Bailey and Paul." I told him. He chuckled.

"Daddy daycare." I nodded.

"That's about right." He chuckled.

"We'll, I'll let you go. I'll see you later, Rose." He said, hugging me. I smiled and kissed his forehead. He released me, and I walked away and into the gym. I stood in the doorway and watched as she kicked and punched the punching bag. The girls skill's might not have been that great, I'll admit, but she had speed. She was a quick little thing, and if she relied on that, she'd be fine. She stopped and stepped away from the bag. She turned and caught me.

"Ooh, you scared me." She said. I grinned.

"Sorry." She nodded.

"How you feeling?" She asked. I chuckled.

"If I had a quarter for every time I heard that." I said. She smiled.

"Sorry." She said. I shrugged.

"I'm fine. You really wouldn't believe how bad I wanted you to come with us yesterday." I said.

"I know. I could tell. Of course big brother wasn't going to let little sister go." I rolled my eyes.

"He's the same way with me sometimes, don't worry."

"Nice to know I wasn't the only one he did that too." She said. I grinned.

"How are you liking it down here?"

"It's interesting. If I'm being honest, I'm honestly thinking about staying." She said.

"As in, staying here? In the U.S?" She nodded.

"What about Paul?"

"I can ship him back to Sonya and stay. No problem." She said. I grinned.

"I would love for you to stay." I said. She nodded.

"I like it here." She said. I smiled. I looked at her, and looked around.

"You ready to train, or you want to wait a little bit since you've just worked out?"

"I'm fine. Are you up for it though after-" I cut her off.

"Don't finish that. Lets do this." I said, walking over to the training mat. She grinned. I looked at her and crouched down. She did the same, and grinned.

"I'll take it easy on you." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"Puh-lease. Do your worst." We circled once, and she lunged, making the first move. She threw a few punched, but I blocked most of them. She kicked me, and caught me in the stomach. I flinched, but didn't let it phase me. The adrenaline now coursing through my veins numbed the pain. I threw a few punched, catching her in the shoulder, the stomach, and the shoulder again. I caught her falter and kicked her feet right out from under her. The moment she hit the ground, she gasped and hesitated before she was able to come back with an attack. Although by then it was to late. I was on top of her, hands over her heart by this time.

"Dead." I said. She cussed.

"I'll never beat you, Rose. I don't know why I try." She said.

"One day you will. I used to say the same thing about your brother, and then one day I took him down. It was the best day of my life. Well, one of the best days. Regardless, you'll beat me one day." I said. I got up, and helped her up. She smiled.

"Now, if you'll watch me when I attack you, you'll be able to anticipate my moves. Dimitri taught me that if you pay more attention to your opponent than to your next move, you'll be able to block and counter." I said. She nodded.

"I don't think I can do that without falling on my ass."

"You know, I said the exact same thing." I told her. She smiled.

"Great minds think alike." I said, as I crouched down. She nodded and crouched down as well. We circled, and I lunged first, swinging a punch to her stomach. She blocked. Every move I made, she blocked. Then, I learned what she was doing, and faked her out, taking her to the ground. This time, she didn't let hitting the ground phase her. When I tried to drop on her, to 'stake' her, she rolled, placing herself on top of me. I fought against her, until I pushed her off me. I must admit, getting her off me took a lot out of me. When I got up, she was quick on the attack again, only giving me time to recuperate before staging her next move. She tried to take me to the ground, but I didn't let it happen. I blocked her move, through a quick punch she didn't see coming, distracted her for a second, and took her to the floor again. She fought against me, but finally I got her. We were both breathing hard when we were done. I rolled off her, and shook my head.

"God Viktoria, you did incredible. I thought you had me." I said. She smiled.

"Thanks, but I still didn't win."

"It doesn't matter. You still did awesome." I said, smiling. We both stood up.

"You look tired, Rose. Maybe we should stop for today."

"You might be right." I said. She grinned, and hugged me.

"Thank you for this, for training with me and stuff." I nodded.

"My pleasure." I told her. We walked back to the room, and went inside. There was a note on the counter saying Dimitri had taken the kids out for ice cream, and he'd be back soon. I smiled and sat down at the counter with Viktoria.

"So, what was up with you in Russia?" I asked.

"Nothing much." She answered.

"What was up with the boys? I remember that boy you told me about before I got married, what happened to him?" I asked. She grinned.

"He left. Then, there was another guy-' I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"Whoo. You sound like me when I was in school." She grinned.

"Yeah, you had Adrian, and my brother."

"And a few others." I told her. She grinned.

"Anyway, his name was Alec, and he was the most amazing thing ever, Atleast I thought he was. He was absolutely gorgeous, and he seemed sweet at first. We dated for awhile, and then… he changed. He hit me." She said. I clenched my hands into fists.

"Like.. Hit you as in… he got mad and put his hands on you?" She nodded. I growled. "Prick." I snapped. She nodded again in agreement. She looked sad though.

"I'm really sorry though, honey." I said. She shrugged.

"It happens. My brother's never… hit you has he?"

"He knows better." I said. She grinned.

"You guys don't fight much, do you?"

"We disagree on a lot, but we work it out." I told her. She nodded.

"That's good. My brother is lucky to have you."

"I think of it in reverse." I said. She smiled.

"I hope I can have a relationship like you have with my brother. I'd love that."

"You'll find him one day. I promise." I said. She nodded. I yawned.

"You can go lay down if you want. Don't feel like you have to stay up." I shook my head.

"I'm fine."

"Rose, have you ever thought of what it'd be like to.. Not be a guardian?" She asked.

"Why? Do you not want to be one?" I asked her, confused. From what I remember that was all she ever wanted.

"God, yes. I wouldn't trade my job for the world, but I just wonder about what it'd be like to be… not this." She said. I grinned.

"I've thought about it. Especially after Bailey and your brother came into the picture, but I love protecting and helping people. It's what I live for. It's what I do." I told her. She nodded. I yawned again, and she giggled.

"Rose, go lay down. Your tired, and after yesterday, you need to sleep." She said. I sighed.

"I'm fine. Gosh, you sound like your brother." She giggled.

"Sorry. It's a Belikov thing."

"I know." I told her. It was quiet for a minute before she spoke. "I really would like you to stay." I finally said. She nodded.

"I'd love to stay here. I really want to. I could learn a lot here. I could be a lot more here at court than I could ever be back home in Baia." She said. I smiled.

"You could be an amazing guardian to someone here." I told her. She smiled.

"I want to be. I want to feel important to someone. I want to do something like my brother. Sonya and Karolina have kids to take care of. I don't. I want to do something instead of be a blood whore and get knocked up." She said. I flinched at her harsh words.

"Ouch. That's harsh."

"It's true." She said. I nodded.

"I get it, and that's a good thing." I said.

"Yeah. I know." She told me. I yawned for the third time, and I could see she was about to say something again, and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright. I'm going to go lay down. Sheesh." I said. She grinned.

"I think I might take a nap too." She told me. I nodded, and hugged her.

"I love that you're here, and I really hope you decide to stay." She nodded. I turned and went into my bedroom. I stripped down, and got into the shower. I wrapped a towel around me, and walked out, changed, and laid down in bed. My eyes started drooping until I finally fell asleep. I wasn't asleep long before I felt a set of strong arms encircle my waist. I patted his hands as they rested on my stomach.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired." I whispered, rolling over in his arms. He met my gaze, and smiled.

"Did you and my sister have fun?" He asked.

"Loads." I assured him. He chuckled. He rolled onto his back, and pulled my head onto his chest as he encircled his arms tight around my waist.

"You do realize that in two weeks, we'll be shipping Bailey off to school, right?" He asked, after a few moments of silence. I nodded.

"Yes. I'm aware." I murmured as I buried my head into his chest. He chuckled.

"Okay. Just making sure." I sighed, and nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm aware."

"Did you have fun with the kids today?" I asked. He smiled.

"Actually, yes. They're both very initiative for seven year olds." I grinned.

"Their both Belikov's. What do you expect?" I asked. He smiled.

"Did you know your sister was thinking about staying down here, permanently?" I said after a little while. He looked down at me.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Yeah. She told me she wanted too." I said. He nodded.

"She hasn't told me that yet." He said. I shrugged.

"I'd like that." I told him. He nodded.

"Me too." He said.

"She's got to leave soon to take Paul back so he's there in time for school, and she's also got to get her things if she does decide to stay."

"Yeah." He said. I snuggled closer to him.

"I love you Dimitri." I whispered. He smiled and kissed my head.

"I love you too, my Roza." I smiled. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	13. Everything changes,

I woke up to Dimitri snoring lightly next to me. I'd slept the rest of the day away. I could tell from the light outside the window that the sun was about to set. I smiled, and pressed a kiss to Dimitri's forehead. His lips curved up into a smile. His eyes fluttered and opened to look at me.

"Hello sleeping beauty." He murmured. I grinned.

"You want to do something with me?" I asked. He gave me a look.

"What?"

"I haven't watched the sunset in ages. Would you like go outside and watch it with me?" I asked. He smiled, and nodded.

"I'd love that." He said. He got up and threw on a pair of clothes and ran a hand through his hair as I pulled on a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt. We left Viktoria a note incase she woke up early, and snuck out of the room. We walked hand in hand in complete silence. When we reached the back deck, the sun was starting to set below the mountains. It was beautiful the way it gave everything this glow. Dimitri stepped behind me, and wrapped his arms around me, letting his hands rest over my stomach.

"I'm glad you woke me up for this." He whispered, as he let his chin rest on my shoulder. I grinned.

"I usually don't wake up early enough to see it. I kind of wish I did. It's beautiful." I told him.

"It's hard to agree with that with you standing here in comparison." He murmured. I smiled. We were silent for a few minutes before I spoke again.

"Dimitri, are you ready to let Bailey go to school?" I asked.

"I don't really have a choice. She has to go."

"We could hold her out another year." I suggested.

"Would that really make it any easier, Roza?" He asked. I sighed, and stared off into the sun.

"No. It wouldn't." I whispered.

"She's so excited. We can't tell her no now. She's growing up."

"I know that. It's just-" He cut me off.

"Your scared because you wont be there to protect her." He said. I nodded.

"Aren't you?"

"Yes, but I've got to let her go. It'll be hard, but I'll deal. You know Alberta and Stan wont let anything happen to our kid. They'll look after her the same way they looked after you for your mother." He said. I sighed, knowing he was right. I just wasn't ready to let her go yet. She was my baby girl. She was supposed to be with me, and stay with me forever.

"I know." I murmured. He pressed a kiss to my neck, and chuckled.

"Your quite adorable when your like this." He admitted. I growled playfully at him, as the last bit of the sun faded behind the mountains.

"Everything's going to change once she's gone off to school." I murmured. He nodded.

"You'll have your job back." I smiled to myself.

"I know." I whispered.

"You've missed it, haven't you? Being her guardian?"

"I've missed it since the moment I resigned. I got over it though. My family was more important." I told him. "What are you going to do when she's gone off to school?"

"I'll be here." He said.

"What about your job?" I asked.

"I wasn't reassigned after I left, so I'm a loner. I'm thinking I don't want to be assigned, regardless." He said.

"Why?"

"Because like I've said before, no moroi life will ever come before yours or Bailey's, so it's not good to pretend it will. I can take care of myself, so you being Lissa's guardian is no big deal, but sometimes… I have to take care of you." He said, chuckling as he ran his lips along my throat. "I'll be here for that when time's get tough. It'll be better if I'm not assigned."

"Dimitri, I know you don't want to sit around and do nothing all day." I said. He shook his head.

"I'll help you take care of Lissa." He assured me. "I can help take care of her, and watch out for her without being her guardian." I nodded. It was quiet for a few minutes before I spoke again.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we would have ditched this place? If we both gave up being a guardian, and just lived a life of our own, somewhere else?" He hesitated before speaking.

"I thought being a guardian was all you ever wanted." He said.

"It was. Is. I was just curious if you ever thought about it."

"I have. I knew you wouldn't want that though." He said.

"Do you?"

"I would be happy with whatever. As long as I'm with you." He murmured. I smiled, and turned in his arms.

"I love you." I murmured. He smiled, and kissed my lips gently.

"As I love you, my dearest Roza." He whispered. I laid my head against his chest.

"I don't know where I'd be without you."

"You'd be perfectly fine, just like you were before I came back." He said.

"What would you have done… if I wouldn't have taken you back. Would you have stayed?" I asked.

"No. I would have went home to Russia. There wouldn't have been a reason for me to stay. I was hoping, praying you'd take me back. For awhile I didn't think you were. Especially after you broke my jaw…the first time." He said. I grinned, and traced his jaw with my fingers.

"Sorry." He chuckled.

"It's okay. I honestly thought I'd end up back in Russia after your reaction to me at the Masquerade ball. I got lucky." He said.

"I don't know how you think I could ever deny you. As much as I hated the thought then, I knew I couldn't turn you away. After you kissed me that day,. my will to hate you, crumbled into dust." I told him. He smiled.

"I'm glad."

"Me too." I murmured. He smiled.

"We should probably get back inside." He said. I sighed, and nodded.

"Probably." I whispered. I didn't want to go back in. I wanted to stay out here, in his arms forever, but we couldn't. He took my hand, and we walked back inside together. When we got back, Viktoria and Paul's bags were all out in the living room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm heading back to Russia. I'm going back with Paul so he wont have to fly alone, and going to get my things, and I'll be back." She said.

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few weeks tops." She said.

"I don't want Paul to leave." Bailey complained.

"I don't want to go either." Paul said.

"Paul, you've got to go back to your mommy. She misses you. Plus, you're both starting school soon."

"I cant go to school with Bailey?" Paul asked, giving Viktoria the puppy dog eyes.

"No. You can't. You have to go back to your mommy." Viktoria said again, as she finished packing her stuff. She looked up at me. "I'll be back soon." She assured me. I nodded, knowing she meant it. We helped her with her bags and to get her stuff downstairs, and then said our goodbyes. Bailey cried having to let Paul go. I felt horrible. I wished he could have stayed, but his mother wasn't just going to give him up to us like that. When they boarded the plane, we all went back to the room, and curled up on the couch together.

"It'll be okay, Bailey." I whispered, drying her tears.

"I'll miss him." She murmured.

"You'll see him again. It's not good-bye forever." I assured her. She nodded, but said nothing more. Dimitri, Bailey and I watched a few movies, and played a few board games, just loving having a family day, just the three of us. I knew we didn't have many more of those ahead of us.

"Mommy, how long until school?" She asked. I sighed.

"Two weeks." I whispered. She grinned.

"I can't wait." She said.

"I'm going to miss you." I said, voice barely audible. She frowned.

"I'm going to miss you too mommy. I'll miss both of you. I wish you could come with me."

"I wish we could too baby." I whispered. It was an intriguing idea, but I had Lissa to think about now. We played board games until Bailey passed out. We took her into her room, and tucked her in, leaving Dimitri and I alone. We curled up on the couch, just basking in each other's presence. We didn't get to do this often.

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

"I'm fine." I assured him.

"You're awfully quiet." He said. "I don't like it."

"I'm fine. I promise, love." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips. He smiled.

"After we send Bailey to school, before you take your job back, I think you and I should go somewhere." He said.

"Go somewhere, as in?"

"Just get out of here for a little bit, and me and you go somewhere alone. Just you and me." He said.

"I'd like that." I whispered. "But Liss is without a Guardian right now, and I don't think the attacks here are over. They still haven't gotten what they wanted yet." I said. "And they wont ever."

"I know, but-" I cut him off.

"We'll see." I murmured. He smiled.

"Okay." He whispered, burying his face in my hair.

"I really do need a haircut." I said, running my hand through it.

"Roza, if you ever cut your hair-" He said, trailing off.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, teasing.

"I'll be very upset with you."

"Wah. You'll get over it." I said, grinning at him. He growled.

"Come on. Let's get to bed." He said. We went into the bedroom, changed, and crawled into bed.

"Anything from Adrian lately?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nope. He's tried, but there's nothing."

"I bet he's hating that."

"I bet he is too." I said. Dimitri chuckled.

"Goodnight, Roza." He murmured.

"Goodnight Comrade." I said. He was the first one to fall asleep. I laid there, staring at his beautiful sleeping face again. I could tell that in the next few weeks, things were gonna get tough. I wasn't looking forward too it at all.


	14. In Your Hands

Those two weeks flew by in a haze. We spent the two weeks packing up almost everything she owned and getting her ready. She was excited, but a little nervous at the same time. That was definitely to be expected. I was nervous too, but for different reasons. I just wasn't ready to let her go. As we waited to board the plane, Bailey looked at me and frowned.

"What if… what if strigoi come, and your not there to protect me?" She whispered. _My biggest fear_. I hated thinking about it.

"Bailey, there are wards there, just like there are here, and there are so many guardians there, they'll never get near you." Dimitri said.

"But aren't there more guardian's here? They got to us here."

"You'll be fine honey. I promise. The strigoi wont touch you." He promised her. That was dangerous, and he knew it. Regardless, it satisfied her. I heard footsteps and turned to see Liss, Christian, and Adrian walking up behind us.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"We're going to St. Vladimirs to see our favorite dhampir off to school." Adrian said. I looked up at him, and attempted to raise an eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes and chuckled. We all boarded the plane, and took a seat. Bailey sat down next to Adrian, and went on chatting about St. Vladimirs, and how excited she was. Dimitri just held me in his arms, knowing I took comfort there.

"She's going to be fine." He whispered.

"I… I hope so."

"She will." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. Bailey bee-bopped all around the plane, sitting next to Liss and Christian too, and telling them how excited she was. I got up and moved next to Adrian.

"How are you doing?" I asked, patting his knee.

"I'm doing good. Not being able to use my magic is driving me up the walls, but I'm coping."

"That's good. I'm glad your doing better." I told him. He nodded.

"I'd still be the same way if it wasn't for you, ya know?" He said. I grinned, and rubbed my knuckles against my shirt.

"I know." He smiled, and kissed my head.

"You know, Bailey's going to be fine." He said, looking over at her sitting next to Christian.

"I know. I'm just not ready to let her go." I said.

"None of us are. We all talked about it, and… it isn't going to be the same without her." He told me, grinning. I nodded.

"Everything's going to change once she's gone." He nodded.

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"Maybe it's not." I said. He chuckled.

"So pessimistic." He muttered. I smiled.

"That's me." He rolled his eyes. It wasn't long before we were to the airport. We all got off and loaded up into the van that would take us to St. Vladimir's. I'm not going to lie, traveling with Bailey was almost as bad as traveling with Lissa. There was so much luggage there was hardly room for the people your traveling with. When we reached the gates, this weird feeling crashed over me. It felt weird being back here. I vowed a long time ago that I would never come back to this place and here I was. When we got out of the van, Adrian, Christian and Liss offered to take her stuff to her dorm, so we could walk around with her. As we walked through the gates, I looked down at my daughter who I'd soon be leaving here. I hated the thought. As we walked down the main sidewalk, I caught sight of Kirova. She looked exactly the same as I remembered her. She smiled at me.

"Rose Hathaway." She said, remembering me immediately. I smiled.

"It's actually Rose Belikov now." I informed her. "It's been to long Kirova." I lied. I could actually have waited another year or two before I had to see her again.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm great. You?"

"I'm doing well, thank you." She said. She turned to Dimitri.

"Guardian Belikov. It's so nice to see you again."

"Always a pleasure, Kirova." He said, bowing his head. He was such a liar. Neither of us could stand her when we were here. She looked down at Bailey.

"You must be the one everyone's talking about." Kirova said. Bailey beamed up at her."I'm Headmistress Kirova. Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Bailey Belikov." Bailey said, proudly. Kirova extended her hand and Bailey shook it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be starting school today, huh?" She asked. Bailey nodded.

"I want to be a guardian, just like my mommy." Bailey told her. Kirova nodded and she looked up at me.

"Well, that's good. You've come to the right place." Kirova said. We grinned. A new group approached so I looked at Kirova and smiled.

"We'll see you around." I told her. She nodded and we turned to walk away. As Bailey skipped around in front of us, Dimitri took my hand.

"You ready for this?" He asked.

"Not at all. Are you?"

"Nope." He said, chuckling. I sighed. A group of kids ran up to Bailey and began chatting. I recognized them and their parents from court. They all looked about as happy as I did to be here. Atleast I wasn't the only one. The kids all ran off, leaving Bailey with us. Liss, Adrian, and Christian approached us once again.

"All of her stuff is in her room. All you have to do is unpack it, and set it up." They said. I nodded. Adrian looked around and sighed.

"Ahh.. The memories this place holds." He said. I nodded.

"I know." Liss took Bailey's hand, and smiled.

"Well, we'll let you two reminisce for a little bit. We'll take Bailey and show her around." Liss said. I sighed, and nodded.

"Okay." I said, as all four of them walked off. I looked up at Dimitri, and sighed.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to do this." I admitted.

"Your going to be fine. I promise. We'll get through this. She's going to be fine."

"Strigoi attacks happen." I said.

"When's the last time you've heard a strigoi attack happen here?" He asked.

"I don't know. Why?"

"The stopped happening after the princess left, Roza. That's why they attack the court now. Their after Lissa, not the kids here." He said.

"They'll attack anywhere there is royal blood. There is royal blood all over this place." I said. He rolled his eyes.

"She'll be fine." He said. As we walked, something came into view off in the distance. I squinted and automatically knew what it was. The cabin. I sighed.

"There's so many memories here." He whispered.

"Good and bad." I said. He nodded.

"I know." He murmured.

"It's hard to believe it's been seven years since I've been here."

"I know. It's been a long time." He said.

"You know, after I graduated, I vowed never to come back to this place." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Why?" He asked. I turned and gave him a look. "Oh." was his brilliant reply. I chuckled.

"You know, your good at distractions." I said. He smiled.

"I don't know what your talking about." He said, shaking his head. I smiled.

"Come on. We should probably go find Bailey and the others. The parent meeting might start soon." I told him. He nodded, and we went off to find Bailey and the others. We found them talking to another set of people, who I soon realized was Mia Rinaldi. When I walked up, she beamed.

"Rose. It's been forever." She said, hugging me.

"I know. How have you been?" I asked.

"I've been great. What are you doing here?" She asked. I looked down at Bailey and smiled.

"She's mine." I said, motioning to her. Mia's eyes went wide.

"Woah. Your kidding right?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Nope. She's Bailey Hathaway… or Bailey Belikov actually." I said, elbowing Dimitri. She grinned.

"That's amazing." Mia said.

"What are you doing here? You don't have any kids running around, do you?" I asked. She giggled.

"No. I don't. I work here actually." She said. My eyes went wide.

"You work here, as in?" I asked.

"They've actually agreed to let me start teaching moroi defensive magic. Atleast, the water users. I couldn't teach anyone about fire, or anything, but I kick ass with water." She said, grinning.

"That's amazing. I'd have never thought they'd actually let you do that." Mia chuckled.

"Well, when you have this one for a queen." She said, elbowing Lissa playfully. Lissa smiled. Bailey walked over to Mia and smiled.

"Your element is water?" She asked. Mia nodded and knelt down in front of here.

"Yes ma'am, it is." She said.

"What kinds of stuff can you do?" Bailey asked. Mia grinned.

"If there's water around, I can use it in any way I want too. I can do all kinds of neat stuff. I'll have to show you one day." Mia said. Bailey beamed.

"Cool." She said.

"What's your name sweetheart?" Mia asked her.

"I'm Bailey Belikov." She told her. Mia grinned.

"I'm Mia Rinaldi. It's so nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Bailey said. Mia looked up at me, and grinned.

"Oh boy. Another Hathaway on the loose." She said. I chuckled.

"She wont be anything like me. I promise. She's to well behaved, like her daddy." I said. Dimitri grinned, and shrugged.

"Maybe she wont drive people up the walls here, like you did." He snapped playfully at me. I rolled my eyes. Mia smiled.

"We'll I've got other people to meet. I will definitely see you guys around." She said. She then looked down at Bailey. "And I will see you later young lady." Bailey grinned and Mia disappeared. Kirova cleared her throat on the podium, so the parent meeting was about to begin. I sighed. Pretty soon, I'd be leaving Bailey here, in the care of the academy's guardians and teachers, and I hated it.

"Hello, and welcome everyone to St. Vladimirs Academy. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves so far. Soon, we'll be starting a fresh new school year, training our students to become Guardian's, much like most of you." She said. I looked at Dimitri, who was watching Bailey. Bailey was so attentive, and looked like she was hanging on Kirova's every word. I smiled down at her. "You children will be learning all the basic skills of a guardian, whether they be starting out in elementary or more complex in middle or high school. Regardless, they will be well looked after here, and cared for. Our school is guarded both magically, and physically by on staff guardians. Your children will be perfectly safe here." Dimitri squeezed my hand, almost as if to say 'see'. I smiled. "I hope you enjoy your time on our campus, and love what you see." She said, before stepping down. I sighed.

"We should go to her room and start unpacking her things, don't ya think?" I asked. He nodded.

"Come on Bailey. We're going to go get you unpacked." She smiled and nodded as we walked off to find her room. Liss led us right to it. She smiled, and looked at me.

"You remember this room?" She asked.

"This was my old room, wasn't it?" I asked. She nodded.

"Mhmm." She said. I grinned.

"That's amazing." I said. Bailey grinned to. We went inside, and began unpacking everything, and setting it up where it needed to go. She helped make her bed, and then jumped on it.

"I think I'm going to like it here." She said. I tackled her to the bed, and smiled.

"I'm glad." I said, even thought I didn't want to leave her, I felt better knowing that she liked it. As I finished up here room, Lissa, Christian, and Adrian took off somewhere with her. I sat down on her bed, and looked at Dimitri.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You can. Your strong." He said. I smiled.

"Not as strong as you." I told him.

"Your right. Your stronger." I laughed. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his lips to mine."Everything's going to be okay. I promise." He said. I nodded. We finished up Bailey's room, and headed out. As I walked out of the elementary dorms, I ran smack into someone. I started to apologize, when I noticed who it was. Eddie Castille.

"Eddie?" I exclaimed.

"Hathaway?" He asked. I didn't care that my last name wasn't Hathaway anymore. I just wrapped my arms around him, and held him. If there was anyone I missed since I'd graduated, it'd been him.

"God, I've missed you." I said, when I released him.

"I've missed you too. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I've got a little one starting school."

"I heard you had a kid, but I didn't believe it." He said. I smiled.

"We do." I said, looking back at Dimitri.

"Belikov. It's good to see you again, man. How've you been?" Dimitri smiled.

"I've been good. How about you?"

"I've been great." Eddie told him.

"What are you doing here? You don't have little one's running around too, do you?" I asked. He chuckled.

"No.. I don't. I work here."

"You're a guardian here?" I asked. He nodded.

"Sure am. Have been since last year." He said. I chuckled.

"I all of the sudden feel better with Bailey here." I told them. Dimitri chuckled.

"I'd like to meet her. Where is she?" He asked. I sighed.

"She ran off with Liss and Adrian." I said.

"They're here too?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, obviously. You're her guardian." Eddie said. I grimaced.

"I'm actually not. Not right now anyway." He raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked.

"I actually resigned as her guardian for a little bit to take care of my family." I told him.

"Woah." He said. I grinned.

"But now that Bailey's coming here, I'm taking my place as her guardian again."

"That's good. I'm glad." He said. I nodded. As we walked out of the building, I saw Adrian and Bailey running around. I called to them and all of them came over. Liss hugged him, and Adrian and Christian shook his hand.

"This is her?" Eddie asked. I nodded.

"God, she looks just like you Dimitri." He said. Dimitri chuckled.

"I get that a lot." Bailey said. I giggled. Eddie knelt down and smiled.

"My names Eddie. You must be Bailey." He said. Bailey nodded.

"That's me." She said, grinning.

"It's so nice to meet you." He said, extending his hand. Bailey shook it, and looked up at me.

"Bailey, Eddie's a guardian here at the school." I told her. She smiled.

"So you'll be protecting me?" She asked. Eddie grinned.

"Yes ma'am. I'll be helping protect you." He told her. She nodded.

"Good." She said. We all laughed. One of Bailey's friends called her over, so Bailey took of running. Eddie stood and looked at me.

"She's precious. Just like you, Rose." He said.

"You'll look out for her right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Of course." He said. I smiled.

"I'm stressing leaving her here, but knowing you're here makes it a lot better. Mia too." I said. He nodded.

"I know. I'll watch out for her." He said.

"Thank you." I hugged him. He grinned. He then turned to Lissa.

"So, Liss. How's it feel to be queen?" He asked.

"It's… stressful." She told him. He chuckled.

"I'd imagine so." He said. We talked for a little bit before Eddie had to leave. He said good-bye to all of us, and went to tell Bailey goodbye too. I looked down at my watch and realized campus would be closing in an hour. I sighed as I watched Bailey run around with her friends. Dimitri, reading my mind, chuckled.

"It's going to be okay." He murmured. I nodded.

"I know." I said, looking up at him. I sighed.

"Bailey, come on. Lets go back to your room, so I can show you where everything is, and talk to you before we leave." I said. She nodded, and hugged her friends. When we got to her room, we showed her where we put all of her stuff. After that, we sat down on the bed. I looked at her, and frowned. She grinned.

"It's going to be okay, mommy." She said. I nodded.

"I know. I'm just going to miss you, that's all."

"I'll miss you too." She said, wrapping her arms around me. I smiled. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the cell phone I bought her. I handed it to her, and smiled.

"This is for you. If you ever want to talk to mommy, daddy, Adrian, or any of us, all of our numbers are in there." She grinned.

"Thank you." She whispered. I nodded.

"It's not going to be the same at home without you." She giggled.

"It'll be boring now." She said. I laughed. I felt tears welling to my eyes, but I blinked them back. She latched onto Dimitri, and hugged him tight.

"I'm going to miss you, daddy." She said. Dimitri chuckled.

"I'm going to miss you too sweetheart." She then hugged Lissa, Christian, and then Adrian. Adrian reached into his pocket, and pulled out a ring.

"This is for you. When the magic in your ring wears off, you have another one ready to go." He said. She looked at him wide eyed, and so did I.

"Adrian, how did you-" He smiled.

"It's a secret." He told me. I didn't ask. She nodded and laid it on her dresser. He grinned, clearly happy with himself. I smiled. I looked at my watch right as they came over the intercom.

"St. Vladimirs Academy is a closing campus. We need everyone who is not enrolled off campus now." They said. It was Kirova. I could tell. I sighed.

"Time to go. Will you walk with us to the gates?" I asked. She nodded. I couldn't believe it. I was about to leave her here, all on her own. We all walked in silence. I knew they were all waiting on me to lose it. I could tell by the way they kept looking at me. Eddie walked with us to the gates, offering to keep an eye on Bailey until curfew. We exchanged numbers incase she needed anything and didn't call. Then, she hugged everyone, saving me for last. She looked up at me, and frowned. A few tears slowly escaped down her cheeks. That's when I lost it. The tears I'd been fighting back came exploding out of me. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you so much." I whispered.

"I'm going to miss you too Mommy." She pulled away, and wiped the tears off my face. "It's going to be okay though. I promise." I smiled through the tears that continued to leak down my face.

"I love you so much, baby." I murmured.

"I love you too." She said. I kissed her forehead.

"Be safe, and have fun. Make mommy proud, okay?" I asked.

"I will." She promised. She walked back to stand by Eddie, and waved. Eddie patted her head.

"I'll look after her. She'll be okay." Eddie promised.

"Thank you." I said. He smiled.

"Good-bye Rose." He said. Bailey sniffed, and smiled.

"Good-bye mommy."

"Bye baby." I whispered. When I turned to Dimitri, he wiped a few tears away. I turned and walked away, knowing that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to let her go. I walked to the van, and got in, as did everyone else. Liss had tears streaming down her face too.

"She's going to be fine, Rose." Liss promised. I nodded.

"I know that." I whispered. The driver started the van, and we drove away, leaving my little girl in the hands of the guardian's at St. Vladimirs.


	15. Pieces!

The plane ride home was pretty quiet. I just curled myself up in Dimitri's arms, and let him hold me. He was my safe harbor and right now… I needed him more than ever. The entire flight, I wanted to tell the pilot to turn the plane around. I knew I couldn't do that though. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. When we got back to court, the realization hit me harder than ever. She was gone. She was at the academy, and I was here at court. I couldn't protect her here. Liss, Adrian, and Christian hugged me before we all parted ways. Adrian kissed my forehead, and smiled.

"It's going to be okay. Remember, when I was losing it, and you kept telling me it would be okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I listened and you were right. Here I am, and I'm perfectly okay. Now, you've got to trust me when I tell you, everything's going to be fine." He said. I met his gaze and nodded again.

"I know. I trust you." I whispered. He smiled.

"Good." He said. "You better." I cracked a smile.

"Goodnight Adrian." I murmured as I turned and followed Dimitri back to our room. When we got there, he turned to look at me.

"You okay?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not." I whispered. He opened his arms, and pulled me into his warm embrace.

"You know, she's going to be okay. She's growing up. She's going to be fine. She has Eddie, and Mia, and Alberta and Stan. She's going to be fine there. She's going to be looked after there the same way she was looked after here." He said. I sighed.

"I know. I just don't like not being the one looking after her." I told him. He nodded.

"I know that. I don't like it either. We've just got to deal with it." He said. I nodded.

"Come on." He murmured. "You've had a long day. You need some rest."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep." I whispered.

"You will. Come on." He said, taking my hand in his.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to stay in here. I'm going to get something to eat." I said, sitting down in one of the bar stools at the counter.

"I'm not going to leave you in here alone."

"I'm fine. You can go to bed. Your tired." I said, meeting his gaze. He shook his head.

"Not without you. I don't like sleeping alone." He said, grinning at me. I cracked a smile. He walked over and leaned over the counter.

"Would you like me to make you something to eat?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I'm sure there's a nice box of cereal calling my name." I said. He chuckled.

"I can make you something if you'd like." He promised. I shook my head.

"It's fine. I like cereal." He leaned over the counter, and pulled my mouth to his gently, pressing the softest, but sweetest kiss on my lips. I smiled when he pulled away.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too Comrade." I told him. He chuckled at his old nickname. I didn't use it very often anymore. I made my cereal, and sat back down at the counter. He sat down beside me, and waited for me to eat.

"I think I want to train a little bit before I decide to take my job back." I finally said, breaking the silence.

"Really? Why? You're an amazing fighter already."

"I know that." I said, causing him to smile. "It's just after the last attack, and how scared I got, I want to make sure I'm ready to take on anything." He nodded.

"If you want, we can go to the gym tomorrow morning, and train a little bit, run through some drills, you know.. Like we used to." He offered. I nodded.

"That sounds good." I told him. He smiled.

"I miss training with you, you know? I always looked forward to our morning and afternoon practices." He told me. I chuckled.

"So did I."

"I know." He said, smiling. I finished my bowl and put it in the sink, and started to wash it when Dimitri came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. He pressed a few kisses to my neck, causing me to shudder.

"Dimitri." I murmured. He chuckled.

"Yes, love?" He whispered. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, knotting my fingers into his hair. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me into the perfect curve of his body. I shuddered against his mouth, loving the way his lips moved in sync with mine. He picked me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist. Without removing his lips from mine, he carried me into the bedroom and laid me down, crawling over top of me. I ran my hands underneath his shirt, and pulled it over his head, causing him to make an annoyed sound at the separation of our lips. I giggled as he brought his mouth back to mine. Faster and faster, each layer of clothes came off until we were naked in each other's arms. God, I loved the way his hands felt on my body. There wasn't any other feeling in the world that compared. He pressed his lips to mine, and slowly lowered himself down into me. I moaned and dug my nails into his back, only pulling myself closer to him. With Dimitri's body pressed against mine, everything in the world, all the bad things, my daughter being miles away, me taking back my job as Lissa's guardian, all the stress that's been weighting me down melted away. All the bad, floated away. I loved it. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. When it was over, we laid against each other, both trying to slow our breathing. A thin sheen of sweat covered both of our bodies. He traced patterns over my stomach, smiling at me.

"I love you Roza." He whispered, drawing a heart around my belly button. I giggled, and smiled up at him.

"As I love you, Comrade." I said. He chuckled. We both got up, and showered, lovingly washing each other, and just savoring in each other's presence. We then got out, and curled up in bed.

"How do you think she's doing right now?" I asked. Dimitri chuckled.

"She's probably sleeping love. It's late."

"Do you think she misses us?" I asked. Dimitri took my face in his hands, and met my gaze.

"Roza, she's fine. She's there, and you're here. She's perfectly safe there, so you need to worry about you're here and now. You've got a lot on your plate right now. You're about to take your job back. You know what a responsibility that is. Your mind needs to be here. If she needs us, we'll know." He said. I sighed, and nodded.

"Your right." I whispered.

"Damn right I'm right." He said, grinning. I chuckled.

"Thank you." I murmured.

"For what?"

"For being here. For picking up the pieces when my world falls apart." I said. He smiled.

"I've done it since the moment I met you. It's a part of the job." He said. I smiled.

"Goodnight Dimitri." I whispered.

"Goodnight, my Roza." I closed my eyes, and slowly fell asleep.


	16. I think I can, I think I can!

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri nuzzling his face into my neck. I sighed in contentment, knowing in just a few minutes, Bailey would probably be in here. Then, it hit me. She wouldn't. She's gone off to school. She isn't going to be here to do that for a really long time. I sighed. Dimitri smiled and sat up on his elbow to look at me.

"Goodmorning love." He said. I threw him a fake smile.

"Morning."

"You still want to train this morning?" He asked. I was sort of scared. I didn't want to take out my frustrations on him and hurt him like I had before. Oh well.

"Yeah." I said. He nodded. We both got up, and got dressed without really saying much. The apartment was silent without Bailey. There was nothing. It was like no one even lived here. The silence was deafening and I couldn't stand it. When we walked out, and towards the gym, Dimitri took my hand. When we reached the gym, he pulled out a mat, and we set it up. He stepped onto it and smiled.

"You going to take it easy on me?"

"I'm afraid I cant do that." I said, cracking a smile at him. He nodded.

"Good." He said. I then motioned him forward. We circled once before he closed in, and lunged. I dodged quickly, and circled back around, grabbing him from behind. He anticipated this because he reached around, throwing me to the mat. I whimpered, but kept fighting. This felt good. It was definitely getting some of the anger and frustration out. I fought my way up, before he could pin me. We then exchanged a few blows, keeping us at an even fight. I kicked him one good times, causing him to stumble. I used his falter to my advantage. I kicked his legs right out from underneath him, throwing myself on top of him. He did a good job protecting his chest, but eventually I fought his hands away and staked him. He groaned.

"I think you asked me to train with you so you could show off. It has nothing to do with your job." He said, grinning. I chuckled.

"You might be right." I said. He smiled. I stood up, and extended a hand to him. He grabbed my hand, but when I tried to pull him up, he pulled me back down, and rolled himself over onto me.

"Damn it. How did I not see that coming?" I muttered. He chuckled.

"I don't know." He said, meeting my gaze. A few pieces of hair fell from the pony tail at the nape of his neck, so I reached up and tucked it behind his ear. He smiled, and stood up, pulling me up with him. We then decided to spar, putting up the mat, and stepping into the red boxes taped to the floor. We slipped on gloves, and started. He threw a punch, and I blocked. I threw one and he blocked. This continued on for a while before I landed a blow. After I scored, he had too. He finally landed a blow on me and scored. He was so proud. After awhile, I was six, he had four. He finally gave up. I smiled.

"How do you block all my punches?" He asked. I laughed.

"I can tell what your next moves going to be, by your facial expression."

"Damn it." He muttered. I shrugged.

"It'll be okay." I said. "I've just known you for to long now." He rolled his eyes. We headed out and went back to the room, and sat down at the counter. The silence in the room got to me once again.

"You think we should call her?" I asked.

"If you want to, we can."

"I do." I told him. He chuckled. I dialed her number and put the phone on speaker. It rang three times before her voice came over the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby." I said.

"Mommy?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah baby, it's me. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm great." She said.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. How do you like it?"

"I love it. It's a lot of fun. I've made a lot of friends." She told me.

"I'm so glad you like it." I told her. Actually, deep down inside, I wanted her to hate it so I could go get her and bring her home.

"I miss you mommy." She said. I felt tears well to my eyes, but I blinked them back.

"We miss you too baby." I told her. Dimitri laid his hand over mine, and smiled.

"Tomorrow's your first real day. Are you ready for it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I'm so excited." She said.

"Good. Your going to do great. Make mommy and daddy proud." I told her.

"I will." She promised.

"We'll let you go. Have fun, and be safe."

"I will. Love you momma."

"Love you to baby." I said, before the line went blank. I closed the phone, and turned to Dimitri.

"You okay?" He asked. I took a deep breath, and stared down at my hands. I then turned to look at Dimitri.

"I'm fine." I whispered. I knew he didn't believe me before he opened his mouth.

"Are you sure? You don't look 'fine'." He said. I wrinkled my nose.

"Ouch. That one hurt." I said. He chuckled, and ran a hand down my arm, causing goose bumps to rise.

"Puh-lease. You, of all people know, I think your dead sexy. I always have." He said. I giggled.

"You amaze me, you know?" I asked.

"Duh. How could I not?" I giggled as I met his gaze. I leaned my head over on his shoulder and sighed.

"I think I'm going to be able to do this." I finally said. "I think I'm going to be okay."

"I told you. There isn't anything you can't handle, Roza. We all know that."

"I could tell you something I wouldn't be able to handle." I said, looking up to meet his gaze.

"What's that?" He asked.

"You leaving me again." I said. He smiled and shook his head.

"You know that's never going to happen." He said. I nodded.

"I know, but I know I wouldn't be able to handle it. Not a second time." I told him. He smiled, and touched my face.

"I promised you forever." He said, touching my wedding ring. I kissed his nose, causing him to chuckle.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking my rightful place as Lissa's guardian."

"Good. You'll be an amazing guardian to her, just like you've always been." He said. I smiled.

"You have so much faith in me."

"It's well deserved." He told me. I smiled brighter.

"You know, sometimes… I wonder how I was so lucky. How I was blessed with an amazing person like you."

"Blessed? I thought you didn't believe in that sort of stuff." He said, grinning.

"The moment you came back, my outlook on religion and God changed." I told him, meeting his gaze. He shook his head.

"Have I told you that I loved you today?" He asked. I shrugged.

"You might have, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." I told him, causing him to chuckle.

"I love you Roza." He murmured, love and sincerity dripping off his every word.

"I love you too Comrade." I said. He smiled. I remembered back to the first time I called him that after him, and the other guardians from the school caught me and Lissa. That was a day that changed my life forever. He smiled at me.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, thoughtfully.

"They day I met you." I answered, honestly. He smiled.

"The day that flipped my entire world upside down." He told me. I laughed.

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

"What we're your first thoughts the moment you met me?" He asked.

"Well, seeing as how you were a threat to Lissa, part of me wanted to kill you, and then the other part of me thought you were really hott." I admitted. He chuckled.

"That's not so bad." He said. I shrugged.

"Nah. What we're your first thoughts when you met me?" I asked. He smiled.

"Well, you were exceptionally brave. That I knew. You tried to attack me, to protect Lissa when I'm like four times your size." He started. I laughed out loud.

"But look who kicks who's ass in practice now." I said. He growled.

"Anyway, I thought you were exceptionally beautiful, and for being seventeen, you looked very…. Well, mature?" He said, groping to find the right word. I giggled.

"Mature, huh? That's what they call it these days?" I asked. He smiled.

"You know, it's hard to believe we've never actually talked about all the times back at St. Vladimirs. So much happened there, and we've never even really discussed it." He said. I smiled.

"We're discussing it now. How about, we shower, and curl up and we'll sort through memories. I'd definitely like to hear about what you were thinking back at the academy." He nodded, and we both went into the bedroom to shower. When that was done, we curled up in bed together for some much needed Roza and Comrade bonding time. I smiled at the thought.


	17. Blast From The Past!

I laid there in bed, gazing into his dark chocolate brown eyes. He grinned.

"Where would you like to start my lady?" He asked.

"We already discussed first meeting, so.. What about when Kirova assigned you as my mentor?" I said.

"I wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Being your mentor took up almost any free time I had. I did it because I knew you had potential. I knew you could make history, and you've done nothing but prove me right." He said.

"That's sweet." I murmured.

"What about… hmm, our trip to Missoula?" I asked.

"Amazing. I loved sitting next to you in the van. Although, you didn't have the best turnout after." He said. I felt my face get hot. That was the time I'd broken my ankle, and Lissa had to heal me.

"I'll never forget carrying you in my arms to the clinic." He said. I giggled.

"I remember waking up, and thinking 'Damn it, he's carried me in his arms and I'd been unconscious and missed it'. " I admitted. He chuckled.

"Of course." He said.

"You remember when I asked you about the dress?" I asked. He smiled.

"And I told you you'd endanger the whole school by wearing it?" I nodded.

"I can't believe we remember all this." I said. He shrugged.

"What about the dance?" I asked.

"You in that dress, by God, you'd be the death of me. I also remember you punching the hell out of Mia. I think your broke her jaw." I laughed, and shrugged.

"I warned her about standing to close." I said. He smiled.

"Then, later that night. The lust spell?" He said. I shuddered a little.

"You know, regardless of everything that happened later, I still consider that one of the best nights of my life." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked. I nodded.

"I honestly thought you were going to take my virginity that night."

"You don't know how bad I wanted too." He said. I smiled.

"I believe you. I still remember your exact words when I asked if you thought I was pretty." I said. He smiled.

"What'd I say?" He asked.

"You told me I was beautiful, so beautiful it hurt you sometimes."

"That's right. I did say that, and it was true." He said. I nodded.

"You did, and I loved it."

"What about the day you lied to me, and told me you didn't have feelings for me, and it was all because of the spell?" I asked. He frowned.

"It hurt me so bad to lie to you. It hurt me even worse knowing my words were hurting you. I wished on everything that we could be together, but that was forbidden. You know, I sat in the gym day in and day out thinking of the lust spell, thinking of my body being that close to yours, but knowing I could never have you any closer, It was painful." He said, grinning.

"We couldn't get any closer now." I murmured, touching his face. He nodded.

"What about… hmm, that day up against the wall in the gym?" He asked. I sighed, and shook my head.

"I proved to you how well I really knew you, that day." I said. He nodded.

"And it scared the living hell out of me. To think you knew me on that deep a level, where you knew about how I constantly fight to stay in control. It was crazy." He said. I grinned.

"And then I kissed you." I said.

"And I loved it." He added. I giggled.

"The day I told you about me knowing about Tasha asking you to be her guardian?" I asked.

"Horrible day. I didn't want you to find out. I was hoping you'd never know, and we'd never have had to deal with that."

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Because I never really planned to go. Tasha even told me when she asked me, that she didn't need a body guard. All she wanted was me and a family, and that wasn't the way I saw my life, growing old. Atleast, I didn't see my life that way with her. When I thought of growing old, and having kids, I always thought of you. I never planned to go with Tasha. Regardless of age, and things prohibiting us from being together, I knew where my heart was." He said. I felt my heart swell.

"I was so scared you were going to leave me. That was the shittiest Christmas ever. That was also the time I met Adrian."

"I remember. When you used him to make me jealous… it worked." He told me. I giggled.

"The day you found me in the house in Spokane?" I asked. He shuddered.

"One of the worst days of my life." He said. "The look on your face. That empty look in your eyes. It still haunts me. I was terrified for you."

"Everything that happened there was my fault. It's my fault Mason's dead." I said. He shook his head.

"It isn't, and you know it." He said. I sighed.

"When Victor threatened to expose us?"

"I wasn't really worried about that. I knew what would happen if he did it, but also… In a way, I wanted them to believe it and find us out. I hated having to hide the way I felt about you. I hated having to hide it because of the age difference. Age is just a number." He said. I giggled.

"But jail is just a room." I teased. He smiled.

"What about the day at field experience, when you and me had to fight?" He asked. I smiled.

"I was nervous to be quite honest. I thought I was going to lose. Plus, I was nervous, knowing how we felt. I was scared people would notice, but they didn't."

"I was honestly surprised I lost that fight. I knew I was going to win that one."

"Wrong." I said, grinning. He smiled. "The day I lost it with Jesse, and wanted to kill him?"

"I was scared for you. I knew you were struggling with the darkness, but that was the day I saw the full extent of it, and Woah. It was insane. I never thought it was that bad. You kept it reigned in so well." He said, shaking his head.

"The cabin?" I asked. He smiled at me.

"The best day of my life." He answered simply.

"The very best?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's right up there with getting married." He said.

"Why?"

"Because ever since I'd fallen for you, I had to hide what I felt for you. I was never able to fully show you how much I loved you, or cared. The little things I did weren't ever enough. That day, with us alone in the cabin, I was able to fully show you how much you meant to me. It was all I'd wanted from the beginning." He whispered.

"I couldn't think of anyone I would have rather given myself to than you." I admitted. He smiled, and then looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"The day I left?" He asked. I took a deep breath.

"The very worst day of my life." I admitted.

"What'd you do when you found out I was gone?" He asked.

"I went to your dorm."

"To find it empty?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yes. I never thought you'd just up and leave me. I know you'd been acting kind of strange after we did what we did, but I never expected you to do something so rash. For a little while, I almost thought you'd left me for Tasha."

"That'd never happen. She doesn't hold a candle to you, love." He said, touching my face. "Leaving you was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I wanted to tell you goodbye, face to face, but I knew the moment you asked me not to go, I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have been able to tell you no. That's why I wrote you a note." I rolled out of the bed, and opened my drawer, pulling out a box. I pulled out the note he left me, and handed it to him.

"You kept this, after all these years?" He asked. I nodded.

"I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It was the last piece of you I had… until Bailey showed up." I said. He handed it back to me, and I shoved it in the box, shoving it back into my drawer. I crawled back into bed, and sighed.

"When you found out you were pregnant?" He asked. I smiled.

"I pretty much lost the little bit of sanity I had left." He chuckled.

"Sanity? You actually had that?" I growled at him.

"Yes. Lissa is the one that made me get checked out. She came by, and I was throwing up. She took me up there, and the lady asked me if I was sexually active. Of course my answer was yes, but I told her he was a dhampir, and that I couldn't be pregnant. She gave me a test anyway, and when I took it, It read positive. I flipped out. I ran out, and grabbed another one, doing it again. It was positive again. When I was able to pick myself up off the floor, I ran to the cabin, and stayed there, crying. Lissa found me, and I finally had to explain everything to her." I said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you." He murmured. I shook my head, and smiled.

"Don't be." We laid there for awhile in silence, just gazing into each others eyes, loving being together.

"What did you think when you saw Bailey for the first time?" I asked.

"I thought she looked familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before. Of course, it wasn't possible she was mine, but boy, was I wrong."

"You were. I was so scared you were going to find out. I always thought about what I'd do if you came back. Whether or not I'd tell you about her. I didn't want to. I didn't think you deserved to know after you left me, but Adrian kind of gave me an ultimatum, and after being around you for a day or so, I knew I couldn't lie to you anymore."

"And I understand why you didn't tell me at first. You thought I was leaving again, and you were protecting her from being hurt, the way I hurt you." He said. I smiled.

"She didn't need to be protected from you. I should have known you'd never hurt her." I murmured. He shrugged.

"What were you thinking when you first saw me at the masquerade ball?" He asked.

"The only thing I could think of in that moment was the pain. That and how your daughter had been standing only three feet in front of you and you didn't know it. I was scared, and hurt, and angry, and quite honestly, I wanted to break your jaw right then."

"But you waited until later for that." He said, rubbing his jaw. I kissed down the line of his jaw, and smiled.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He shook his head.

"What was going through your mind when you thought I might die, after we got married?" I asked. He shook his head.

"There aren't words to describe the pain and fear I felt. I was so scared. Scared for me and Bailey that we were going to lose you. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. I don't know what I would have done without you." He said, pulling me closer to him.

"You do know, if something happens to me… ever, you can't freak out and go off on yourself, or do something stupid, right?" I asked.

"I don't think I have a choice. You obviously don't know how much you mean to me." He said.

"You have to think of Bailey. What would she think if she saw you lose it. If something happens to me, she's going to need you more than anyone, and you have to be there for her. You know that." I said. He nodded.

"I know, its just… I don't want to lose you. Ever."

"I'm not going anywhere as long as I can help it." I told him, smiling. He kissed my forehead.

"What would you have done if you came back to find me with someone else?" I asked, he shuddered.

"I honestly don't know. I thought about that the whole way here. I knew I'd see you, and I was preparing myself for anything. I don't think I would have been able to hang around if there would have been someone else in your life."

"No one else could replace you. I promise." I assured him. He chuckled.

"Good to know." He said. I yawned, and snuggled closer to him.

"Bed time." I said. He chuckled, and wrapped his arms around me, letting his hands rest over my stomach. I placed my hands over his, and sighed.

"I love you Comrade." I said.

"I love you too Roza." He murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes, and slowly fell asleep. Once again, I could feel Adrian trying to get into my dreams. I noticed that he was almost there. It was like the barrier between him and his magic was thinning, and that could only mean one thing. He'd stopped taking the medicine. In the morning, his royal little ass was mine.


	18. Whipped!

The next morning, I woke up before Dimitri. I smiled at his beautiful sleeping face. I kissed his forehead gently, but he didn't wake. I laid there for a second, and then remembered last night. I remember my dreams, and how Adrian had almost been able to enter them. I carefully maneuvered out of bed, and got dressed. I grabbed the pad of paper by the bed, and left Dimitri and note, letting him know where I'd be and why. I then grabbed my keys and headed out across court. It was still sort of early, so he might still be asleep, not that I cared. When I got to his door, I slammed my fist against it. I could hear his bedroom door open, and him come stomping across his room to the door. The moment his door was unlocked, I pushed myself though it, almost knocking him out in the process.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" I screamed, slamming the door behind me. It took me a second to noticed he was half-naked. I was careful to keep my eyes on his face, and not on his body. I was a married woman, yes, but Adrian wasn't bad looking.

"What do you mean? I was sleeping?" He asked, completely confused and still half asleep.

"No.. Last night. You tried to get in my dream." I said. He nodded.

"And? It didn't work." He said, trying to cover his ass. He didn't know that I could feel the barrier.

"Have you stopped taking that medicine?" I asked. He met my eyes.

"Rose.." He started. I shook my head.

"No damn it. Answer the question."

"Rose, yeah.. I stopped taking it but-" I put my hands up.

"I don't understand. Have you even been on it for a month yet? Adrian, the medicine is keeping you sane. I can't have you wigging out on me now. I need you sane. I need you to be like this… like you are now, instead of trying to kill me all the time." He flinched at my words.

"Rose, I'm taking care of it. I'm going to be fine."

"Why are you doing this? I don't get it, Adrian." I snapped.

"I'm weaning myself. I'm hoping that maybe, if I slowly let my magic back in, the darkness will be less severe, and I might be able to fight it off."

"And what if you can't? I'm about to take my job back, and I can't be running back and forth. Lissa is my charge. I have to take care of her." I said.

"Be my guardian." He said. I attempted to raise an eyebrow.

"Adrian, you know I'm Lissa's guardian. You know how long I've wanted to take my job back." I said. He frowned. I knew it hurt him, but Lissa was my charge. End of story. She always had been, regardless of my resignation.

"But, I thought you wanted to help me." He said. I smiled, and took a step closer to him.

"Adrian, I'm going to help you.. But I'm Lissa's guardian.. Or I'm gonna be. You know I love you, and you know I'll always be here for you, but Lissa's always been my charge." I told him. He nodded and sighed.

"Your right. I just like.." He stopped and looked away. I pulled his gaze to look at me.

"You like knowing I care enough to help you and protect you." I whispered. He nodded. Regardless of his lack of clothes, I pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me.

"I'm always going to protect you, Adrian." I said. He nodded.

"I know that." He murmured. I released him, and stepped back.

"You should have told me you were going to stop taking the medicine." I finally said.

"I knew you'd talk me out of it."

"I would have. Do you really think this is a good idea right now?" I asked. He nodded.

"I think I can do this, Rose. I really want to be able to. I don't want to be cut off from my magic anymore. I want to be strong like you and Lissa." He said.

"Adrian… You don't have to do this. You know, being on the medicine a little while longer wont kill you."

"It will. I can't stand not having my magic. I hate it. I'm weaning slowly. I'm taking baby steps, I promise." He said, meeting my gaze.

"And if anything happens, and you start feeling like you did before, your going to take it again, right?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. I'm going to learn to control it, the way you and Lissa do." He corrected me.

"God help us." I muttered.

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Please, just… be careful and if you need me.. You know where I am." I said.

"I'll try not to need you." He said. I shook my head.

"No. Don't say that. If you need me, no matter what… I want you to come to me. Please, don't think your bothering me or anything. In order to help you, I have to know when things are wrong." I said. He nodded. I sighed, and then realized once again that he was still half naked. I smiled.

"I've got to go. You should go put some clothes on Ivashkov." I said. He stepped closer to me.

"Don't pretend your not attracted to me." He said. I laughed.

"Yes, Adrian. I just want to fall into your arms, and melt your so hot." I said, punching him lightly in the stomach. He smiled.

"I know, I know." He said. I laughed.

"I'm out of here. See you later, Ivashkov."

"Bye Rose." He said. I turned and started for his door. When I opened it, he called after me.

"Rose?" I turned back.

"Yeah?"

"I know I've told you this a hundred times… but thank you." He said. I nodded once.

"Your welcome." I said, before walking out. When I got back to our room, Dimitri was at the counter with his cup of coffee. He smiled.

"Good-morning Roza." He said.

"Morning love."

"How's the royal pain in the ass this morning?" He asked. I giggled.

"He's alive." I said.

"Did he stop taking it?" He asked. I nodded.

"He did, but he says he's got it under control, or he's working on it. I'll let him try his little experiment, and if it doesn't work… I'll shove those pills down his throat everyday." This made him laugh. I walked over to him, and jumped on top of the counter in front of him. He chuckled.

"You know, I understand what you meant about waking up to a cold bed now." He said.

"Aha. It sucks, doesn't it?" I asked. He nodded.

"Immensely so." I giggled, and kissed him.

"You going to talk to Lissa today?" He asked. I nodded.

"I sure am. I want you to come with me though." I told him. He smiled.

"I can do that." He promised. I smiled. He finished his coffee, we freshened up a little, and headed to the throne room, where I knew Lissa was. Christian was sitting beside her throne, smiling up at her. He looked up and groaned.

"God, it's here." Christian said. I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up fire crotch." I smarted. He growled. I giggled.

"How are you, Rose?" Lissa asked.

"I'm good actually." I said. She nodded, and looked at me.

"There's something you want to tell me." She said. I chuckled. Christian shook his head, and looked at Dimitri.

"I hate all the psychic bond shit, where we totally have no idea what's going on." Christian said. Dimitri laughed.

"He actually knows." I said. Christian narrowed his eyes at him, but Dimitri just shrugged. I looked up at Lissa, and she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Queen Vasilisa, I've come to ask to return to my position as the Dragomir guardian." I said. She stared down at me as if I'd just said something to her in some foreign language. Christian's eyes were on her, and Dimitri's eyes were on me.

"You mean it?" She asked, her voice barely audible.

"I mean it with a passion." I said, chuckling. She smiled, and jumped out of her throne, latching onto me.

"Yes. God, yes. You can be my guardian again. God, I've missed you being my guardian so much." She said, hugging me tighter.

"I'm glad. I've missed being your guardian. I told you after Bailey went back to school I'd be able to take my place as your guardian again." She grinned, and released me. She then took a few steps away from me, and smiled.

"I've also got something I want to tell you. Well, we want to tell you." Liss said, taking Christian's hand. I knew it was one of two things, but I wasn't sure which. I searched her head, but she's put up a mental block, making sure I wouldn't find it there. That bitch.

"Christian and I are expecting." She said. My jaw hit the floor.

"Expecting… as in, a baby? Like..pregnant?" I asked. She nodded, and so did Christian.

"That's…woah." Okay, so maybe that wasn't one of the two things I thought it was.

"There's more though." Liss said. I nodded. _Of course_.

"What?" I asked. Liss held out her hand to me, to show me the ring on her finger, an engagement ring.

"We're getting married." She said. I smiled. Was it bad to say I wanted to resign again? Not only did I have to protect the queen of our society… I had to protect the pregnant queen of our society. _Awesome. _She just loaded my plate, again. Oh well. She was what I lived for now.

"That's amazing you guys." I told them. Dimitri looked at Christian and chuckled.

"Welcome to the club."

"I think marrying Lissa is a whole different club compared to marrying Rose." He said, laughing. Dimitri grinned but shook his head.

"It's all the same once your tied down." I slapped Dimitri's arm.

"You make it sound like being married is a bad thing." I said.

"It's not. I'm just saying." Dimitri said. I nodded.

"Mhmm." I muttered. I turned back to Lissa. "That's amazing. I'm so happy for you two."

"Thank you. I'm so happy. Everything seems to be falling right back into place. I have a guardian. I'm having a baby, and I'm getting married. Everything's perfect." She said, face completely glowing. I chuckled, and hugged her.

"I'm glad. I think you deserve it." I said. "Although what your marrying would seem more like a nightmare to me." Christian turned to me, and growled. I chuckled.

"Oo, scary." I muttered. He rolled his eyes. I threw him by best man eater smile.

"If you're my guardian again, what's Dimitri going to do?" Lissa asked. Dimitri smiled.

"I'll just be around. I'll be here for the moral support and all that. I'll help her protect you, but I don't want to be assigned." He said. Christian laughed.

"So basically, you've became a house wife?" He asked. Dimitri turned to him and laughed.

"Oh yeah? Well what will you be doing after you marry Miss Dragomir while she's busy running out society?"

"I'll be helping her." He said. Dimitri looked at me, and we laughed.

"Housewife." We said together. Christian growled at the both of us. I laughed. We sat around in the thrown room, Lissa and I talking wedding, and baby things. Christian got bored with us, and started conversing with Dimitri.

"Boy or girl, Christian?" I asked. He looked at me, then at Lissa and back to me.

"Boy." He said. Lissa giggled.

"I think it's a girl." She said, patting her stomach. "That's just my guess though."

"We don't need another Christian running around here. Lord knows what I'll do." I said.

"Well, we already had a little Rose running around here." Christian retorted.

"She acts more like Dimitri than me, and you know it."

"Yeah, but she beats up on people like you do." He said. I laughed.

"Well, maybe.." I said. He laughed.

"You taught her well." He said.

"No, I just taught her not to take shit from people. Especially fire breathing moroi." I said, giggling. Dimitri snorted and laughed too. Christian rolled his eyes. I looked up and even Lissa was giggling. I chuckled.

"Why are we friends with her again?" Christian asked Lissa. She slapped his arm.

"Because she's the best friend someone could have. Shut up, Christian." She said. He frowned.

"Fine." He muttered. I laughed.

"Whipped." I said. He growled. We hung out for a little bit longer, but it got late and Lissa was tired, so we sent her and Christian off to their room, and headed home. Well, we started that way, until I grabbed Dimitri's hand and towed him out to the back deck to watch the sun come up.


	19. Fire and Water!

We stayed with Lissa and Christian for awhile, but it got late, so Dimitri and I headed back to our room. I went inside and over to the counter, and sat down in one of the barstools. Dimitri walked over to me, and smiled, waiting for it to come pouring out of me.

"I can't believe she's pregnant." I finally said. He smiled.

"They seem happy though."

"I know that but… she's pregnant. The queen, the moroi queen, who is in charge of all things in our society, the last Dragomir who all the strigoi are after, is pregnant. My job, it just got ten times harder." I said. He smiled.

"You should have seen it coming."

"I didn't. I was expecting the marriage. I knew that was coming, but baby Dragomir was unexpected." I finally said.

"You know, she was probably thinking something similar to what you are now, when she found out you were pregnant." He said. I attempted to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. He smiled.

"She was probably thinking 'great, the person who's supposed to be protecting me is pregnant. She can't protect me with a baby'." He said. I chuckled.

"She probably was. It wouldn't surprise me." I admitted. I smiled.

"What do you think her baby's element will be?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Spirit, maybe… if not, I'm guessing water."

"Why water?" I asked.

"Because it's contradictory to Christians." He answered simply.

"If their baby ends up with water, it will make my life complete. The look on Christian's face, when he see's his kid using water… it will be hysterical." I said. Dimitri nodded.

"I agree." He said. I sighed.

"I'm going to call Bailey, and see how her first day went." I told him. He smiled.

"Okay." I pulled out my phone, and dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby."

"Hi mommy." She said.

"How was your first day of school?" I asked.

"It was great. I loved it. My teachers are so nice. You remember that nice lady, Alberta? The one that was at your wedding?"

"Yes. I remember, what about her?" I asked.

"I saw her today. She remembered me."

"Probably because you look so much like your daddy." I said. She giggled.

"Probably." She said.

"Is Eddie helping you out?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's been helping me around. He's really funny. Almost like uncle Adrian, but less crazy. He's cute too." She said. Dimitri rolled his eyes. I laughed.

"Yeah, Eddie's a cutie. I'm so glad you have him there helping you."

"Me too. Oo, and Mia.. That pretty blonde girl, she showed me what she could do with water.. It was amazing." She said. I remember back to me telling Mia water wasn't a weapon, and then a few weeks later, she saved my life with it.

"I know. It's cool. Hey Bailey.. Guess what?" I said.

"What?"

"Auntie Lissa is pregnant." I said.

"She's gonna have a baby?" Bailey practically screamed into the phone.

"Yeah, she is." I said. I could tell Bailey was bouncing around wherever she was.

"That's awesome. That means I'm going to have a cousin?" She asked.

"Pretty much, yes." I told her. I could tell she was happy.

"That's amazing. I'm so happy." She said. I smiled.

"I'm glad. Look, I'll let you go baby. Have fun, and be safe."

"I will. I love you and miss you mommy." She said. I smiled.

"We love you and miss you too baby." I said. Then, the line went flat. I closed my phone, and looked at Dimitri. He smiled.

"I miss her." He finally said.

"So do I." I murmured. He smiled, and walked over to the counter. He leaned over it and kissed me. I smiled.

"You know… I really want something chocolate." I said, completely out of no where. He chuckled.

"There's a box of brownie mix in the cabinet, and there's a thing of frosting too." He informed me. I got the box out, and made the brownies, sticking them in the over. I then sat down at the counter with Dimitri again.

"When do you think we'll be able to visit Bailey?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Give her a month or so. Let her get used to us not being around before we visit." I nodded.

"Your probably right." I said. I laid my head on the table, and gazed up at Dimitri.

"You know, I don't remember ever telling you this back at the academy, or since we've been married, so I'm telling you now. You have the most gorgeous eyes." He chuckled.

"I don't think you've ever told me that… but thank you." He said, kissing my forehead. The brownies didn't take long. I pulled them out and let them cool, before spreading icing all over the top of them. I cut Dimitri and I one, and we ate them. I scraped the bottom of the icing can, eating what was left. I had some on my hand, so very stealthily, I wiped it on the side of Dimitri's face. The look he gave me when he looked up was priceless.

"I know you didn't just make that mistake." He said. I smiled and jumped out of my stool.

"I did." I said. He grabbed the icing can, and put his fingers inside of it, pulling them out to have them coated in chocolate. I growled.

"You wouldn't." I said, backing away. He started towards me.

"I would." He said. He then lunged, coming after me. He grabbed a hold of my arm with his chocolate coated hand and rubbed chocolate all down my arm. I screamed, and fought away from him. I grabbed the pan of brownies, and looked at him.

"You wouldn't." He said. I smiled. I placed my hand in the icing on top of the brownies. He growled. I giggled and started towards him as he went running around the other side of the couch.

"Comrade… why are you running? I love you." I said, taking off after him. I'd became faster than him over the time he was gone, so I wiped chocolate all down his neck and on his shirt. I laughed as he ran back towards the brownie pan. I tried to snatch it from him, but it was to late. He wiped chocolate all over my face. I tackled him and took the pan, using what was left of the icing to cover his skin. We were both laughing, rolling around on the floor. I ended up on top of him, laughing. I met his eyes for a second, and smiled. I leaned down to his neck, and let my tongue graze his skin. The taste of chocolate on Dimitri's already yummy skin was amazing. I smiled, and leaned down again, licking and sucking the chocolate off his neck. He shuddered and rolled over, putting me on my back, doing the same to me. I moaned as his tongue ran over the different parts of my skin. I brought his lips to mine, and kissed him hard.

"Your yummy." I murmured, grinning.

"So are you." He said, chuckling. "Of course, you've always been, subtract the chocolate." I felt my face get a little hot. I stood up, and helped him up.

"I need a shower." I said, laughing.

"Me too." I grabbed the pan of brownies off the floor, and shook my head.

"So much for eating those later." I muttered, throwing them onto the counter. He chuckled. We went and showered, having to scrub hard to get the hardened chocolate off our skin. We laughed though. Once we were out, we crawled into bed, and cuddled up to one another.

"First day back at work tomorrow." He said. I nodded.

"I know. I can't wait. I've missed it. I don't know how much I'll miss it once she gets all moody and shit from her pregnancy."

"Oh God, I can only imagine what you were like." He said, chuckling. I growled.

"I honestly wasn't that bad." I said. He snorted. I slapped him playfully.

"Shut it. You wouldn't know. You weren't here." I said. He nodded, face falling ever so slightly. I automatically regretted my words.

"I know." He murmured. I shook my head, and pulled his gaze to mine.

"Don't." I said. He smiled slightly, but it didn't look as chipper as before.

"I still wish I would have been around for all of it. Your pregnancy, her being born, her first steps, potty training. I wish I would have been here to see it."

"I wish you would have been too, but you weren't, and we can't change that. It's the past. It doesn't matter anymore." I said. He nodded slightly. We cuddled closer to each other and slowly fell asleep. I should have known it wouldn't be long before he'd pry his way in. I was on a beach again, sitting down on a towel, in this beautiful blue dress. I was honestly surprised Adrian had dressed me.

"Well, look who pried his way in." I said. Adrian smiled. "How you holdin' up?"

"I'm good right now. I've been able to fight it off. I'm not using my magic that much either, so… we'll see as the days progress." He said.

"Have you talked to Liss or Christian?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Why?"

"She's pregnant." I said. I swear, Adrian's jaw hit the beach floor.

"You mean… Lissa, our Moroi queen is pregnant?" He asked. I nodded.

"And she's getting married." I added. He shook his head.

"Woah." He said. I nodded.

"My reaction, exactly." I said. He chuckled.

"That's insane. Didn't see that one coming."

"Me either." I admitted.

"Have you talked to Bailey? How's she doing?" He asked.

"She's great. She really likes it there. She's hanging out with Mia and Eddie." I said. Adrian smiled.

"Well, of course she likes it." He said.

"She compared Eddie to you." I said. "But she said Eddie was less crazy."

"I'll be paying her a phone call tomorrow."

"She'd like that. You should do it." I said. He nodded.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"When's the last time your ring was charmed?" He asked. I stared at him for a second, but then realized what it was he was asking. He wanted to use my ring as an experiment to see how much magic he could use without losing it. I shook my head.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Rose… It's been awhile. It's got to be running low. I can do it for you." He protested. I shook my head.

"No. I'm not going to let you use me as an experiment. It's already bad enough that your darkness is my fault." I said. He looked at me.

"What?"

"You losing it, is my fault. You didn't use that much magic until I had you start charming things for me and Bailey. It was my fault you lost it. You even said that yourself." I told him. He growled.

"I've never said that." He snapped. I nodded.

"You did. One time, when you lost it. You blamed me. You were right." I said. He shook his head.

"Rose, it's not your fault, and I didn't mean it. I wasn't in my right mind." He said.

"Regardless, no. My ring is fine, and when it runs out… I'll go to Lissa." I said.

"Lissa's pregnant. Using that much magic can't be good for the baby. It makes Lissa tired and weak, and she can't be like that when she's living for two." He said. Damn it. He was right. I shrugged.

"Then I'll have to go without, huh?"

"Rose… No." He started.

"Adrian, I'm tired. Please, let me sleep."

"Your are asleep, and Rose… Your not going without a ring." He said, stamping his foot.

"Adrian, send me back… please." I begged. He sighed.

"We're not done talking about this." He said.

"Adrian." I said, sighing.

"Goodnight Little dhampir." He said, before the dream world faded, and I fell into my own dreams.


	20. Gang Fight?

The next morning, I woke up to Dimitri pressed kisses to my forehead. I groaned, and wrapped my arms around him. He chuckled.

"Goodmorning lovely."

"Goodmorning." I answered. He chuckled, and reached up, pulling something out of my hair.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A piece of chocolate from last night." He said. I laughed. I leaned forward and kissed his lips sweetly. We then rolled out of bed and got dressed. As we walked out into the living room, there was a knock at the door. I walked over to it to find Viktoria on the other side. I grinned and tackled her into a hug.

"You really came back." I exclaimed. She giggled, and hugged me back.

"Did you not believe me?"

"I did. I was just scared your family was going to talk you out of it." I said, grabbing her bags and bringing them in. She shook her head.

"No. They were actually kind of happy. They wanted me to do something with my life. They were always scared I'd become a blood whore." She said. I laughed.

"You'd never be like that. Your to much like me." I told her, as she hugged Dimitri.

"So.. Am I staying here with you, or do I get my own room?" She asked. I smiled.

"I'm sure I can get you a room here in the Dragomir wing. I'll go talk to Lissa in a little bit." I told her. She nodded.

"It feels good to be back. I'm going to go down to the gym for a bit. I've missed it, and I haven't even been gone that long. I don't know how I survived in Baia that long without one." She said. I chuckled.

"Alright. Have fun. I'll talk to Lissa." I told her. She nodded, and hugged me."I'm glad your back." I told her. She smiled.

"Glad to be back." She said, slipping out the door. I smiled, and turned to Dimitri.

"I really was looking forward to brownies this morning, but of course they aren't exactly edible." I said. He smiled.

"I didn't tell you to put your hand in them." He said. I rolled my eyes. We sat down at the counter, both of us with a cup of coffee. As we sat, there was another knock at the door. I got up and answered it, to find Adrian.

"You may not agree with me, but I know he will." He said, pushing himself through my front door. I knew what he was referring to. My ring, and he knew Dimitri would let Adrian do it for my safety.

"No… Adrian, don't." I said.

"What's going on, Rose?" Dimitri asked.

"Nothing. Adrian, stop. I've told you, I'll be fine." I said, almost growling at him. Dimitri was looking at Adrian now.

"Adrian, what's going on?" Dimitri demanded.

"Her ring is running low on magic, and she wont let me re-charm it. Lissa can't do it because of the baby, and she wont let me do it either." Adrian told him. Dimitri didn't say anything.

"Adrian, what the hell? I'm fine, and I'm going to be fine. I survived almost seventeen years of my life likes this. I can survive without a ring for a little bit. I'll be fine." I said.

"Rose, you need to let him charm your ring." Dimitri said. I shook my head.

"No." I said.

"What do you mean, no? You know how you get with darkness, your protecting Lissa now. You can't afford to be losing it, Roza." He said.

"And I can't afford to have him losing it on me. He's a moroi, and I'm doing what I have to too protect him. He's just learning to control his darkness, and I'm not going to have him trying to kill me every five seconds." I snapped. Dimitri met my gaze.

"Rose.. You know you need that ring."

"No. I don't NEED anything. I don't need the ring. I'll be perfectly fine without it." I said. Dimitri growled.

"Rose.. I'm serious." He said.

"No. I'm serious. I don't need the ring. I really wish you would stop worrying so much. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sorry for caring." Adrian snapped.

"This wasn't any of your business. Why did you have to get involved?" I snapped.

"Rose, you've been helping me, and I'm trying to help you." He said.

"I don't need your help." I said. He started to open his mouth to say something, but I knew what he was going to say. "Don't you dare say you didn't need my help, because you did."

"Rose, let me help you. I want to do this for you." Adrian said.

"Roza, please. Let him do this."

"No." I said, crossing my arms.

"Rose!" Dimitri snapped.

"I don't need you telling me what to do. Your not my mother. I know what I need and what I don't. Why the hell are you two ganging up on me?" I demanded.

"Because we want what's best for you." Adrian said.

"I'm fine. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you." I said.

"I'm a big boy, Rose. I know what I can and can't handle."

"And I'm a big girl. I don't need you babying me. I can take care of myself." I said.

"Obviously not because your being stupid. Let me charm the ring, Rose."

"No.. Adrian." I snapped.

"Roza.." Dimitri started. I turned to glare at him.

"No. I want you both to stop. I'm not letting you charm my ring, because I'm not letting you hurt yourself because of me. I've already told you it's my fault this happened to you in the first place. I'm not going to make it happen again."

"Rose… I'm fine. I'll be fine. I can handle it now." He said.

"No, Adrian. I mean it." I snapped.

"Your being childish, and idiotic." He said.

"I'm being childish and idiotic? I'm protecting you. Childish and idiotic, is you arguing with that logic." I snapped.

"I don't need protecting." He yelled.

"You do. You're a moroi. Your weak. You don't know anything, Adrian." I snapped.

"Rose, you should listen to him." Dimitri said. I groaned.

"I really don't need this right now. I'm tired of you two ganging up on me." I snapped.

"Rose.." Adrian started. I shook my head.

"No. I'm out of here. I don't want to hear this." I muttered. I turned and walked out, slamming the door behind me. They wanted to treat me like a baby. I was perfectly fine on my own. Darkness had always been a pain in my ass, but it was easily controlled. I don't need them telling me what I did and didn't need. I could survive without a ring, atleast until I knew for a fact Adrian was well enough to do it on his own. I wouldn't endanger Lissa's baby by asking her, but I wasn't going to let Adrian hurt himself either. I shook my head as I headed to the door of the gym.


	21. Trouble In Paradise?

When I walked in, Viktoria looked up and smiled. She took in my expression and the smile faded.

"Hey Rose. What's up? You don't look to happy."

"I'm not. Stupid royal moroi. They're a pain in my ass. Why I bother to protect them, I don't understand." I snapped.

"Damn. Never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth. What happened?" She asked.

"Ivashkov, he's what happened. He stopped taking the medicine he was on, trying to wean himself and slowly let the darkness back in to learn to control it, and he remembered that my ring that keeps my darkness away hasn't been charmed in awhile. He wanted to charm it, and I told him no. He showed up this morning, and explained to Dimitri that I'd told him I wasn't going to let him do it, and he got Dimitri all pissed of at me, and they both jumped my case, saying how I needed the ring, and I couldn't be losing it now. They're idiots. I don't need the damn ring. I'm perfectly fine on my own. I've dealt with the darkness since I was bonded to Lissa. I can handle it. I'm a Hathaway damn it. I'm trying to protect him."

"And he's trying to protect you. They both are." She said. I knew she'd take her brothers side, only because she wanted to protect me to. Damn all these people and their protective nature.

"I know that. It's my job to protect them though, not the other way around." I said.

"Exactly. Your right, but if your doing all the protecting, who's going to be there to protect you?" She said.

"I don't need protecting."

"Everyone does, Rose. You can't be the hero all the time." She said.

"It's not that I want to be the hero all the time. I just want to help him. I don't want him to get hurt because of me." I said.

"Sometimes, you've got to put yourself first." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"God, I can tell you're a Belikov. Your brother taught you that, didn't he?" I asked. She smiled.

"No. My mother taught us all that." She said. I nodded.

"If I had to choose between me and the people I cared about, I'd choose them. My own protection and safety means little to me." I admitted. She shook her head.

"You can tell you're a Hathaway." She said. I grinned.

"Adrian is important to me. I know charming my ring can hurt him, and it most likely will. I wont take that risk with him. Not when I'll be the one having to clean up the mess." I said. She smiled.

"Your so brave, Rose." She murmured. "I want to be like you, you know. As my brother trained me, before he came back… I always trained because I wanted to be like you. He told me all about you, and I told him to make me just like you."

"You don't want to be like me." I told her. She smiled.

"I did. I still do. Your one of the strongest, coolest people I know." She said. I shook my head.

"If only you knew." I told her. She smiled.

"Your amazing, Rose. Regardless of what Dimitri and Adrian say, your protecting Adrian. You're a guardian and protecting moroi is your job. That's exactly what your doing. I know Dimitri's going to argue with that logic because it helps protect you… but I know you wont listen."

"Your right. I wont." I said. She grinned. "I don't want them ganging up on me like they did though. I said no, and they argued. I'm not going to let them tell me what I do and don't need. I don't need the ring."

"I believe you. I know how strong you are, Rose. You don't have to explain to me. I know you can go without it, and I know you will." She said. I nodded.

"I'm glad someone knows." I muttered. She giggled.

"My brother will be here looking for you soon. It's been thirty minutes." She told me.

"What?" I asked.

"When you get mad, or walk away from him, he told me he always gives you at least thirty minutes to calm down. That way, when he tries to talk to you again, you wont hit him, or break his jaw." She said, giggling.

"He told you about that, huh?" I asked. She nodded.

"Told me that you broke it, twice."

"Hey… The second time was an accident." I promised. "The third time, wont be." She giggled.

"You guys will work it out. You always do." She said. I nodded.

"I didn't get the chance to talk to Lissa about your room. If you want, I can do it now, and you can come with me. I've got to go by and check on her anyway." I said. She nodded.

"Sure, I'll go." She said. She followed me out, and back to Lissa's room. When I knocked, Lissa yelled to come in. I walked in, Viktoria following me.

"Hey Rose." Lissa said. I smiled. Christian sat next to her on the couch.

"Your majesty. Lord Ozera." I said, bowing a little. Liss stuck her tongue out at me, but Christian raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You called me something other than fire boy. I'm shocked." He said.

"Sorry fire crotch. I forgot." I said. Viktoria snorted. I smiled. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Rose." He said. I laughed.

"Hey Liss, you've got a few extra rooms in this wing right?" She nodded.

"Yeah, why?" She asked.

"Viktoria is going to be staying here, and she wants her own place." I told her. Lissa grinned.

"Your staying?" She asked. Viktoria nodded. Lissa grinned, and got up to hug her.

"I'm glad. You can help me plan for the wedding, and baby stuff too." Lissa said. Viktoria's jaw dropped.

"Woah, your pregnant? And getting married?" She asked. Liss looked at me.

"Sorry. I didn't get the chance to tell her. She'd just gotten back, and other stuff came up." I said, not wanting her jumping my case too.

"Oh. Well, yes. I'm pregnant, and getting married." Liss told her. She hugged Lissa, and smiled.

"Congratulations Lissa." She said. Liss nodded.

"Thanks." Liss said. She nodded, and went into her storage room of her suite and brought out a set of keys.

"This is the room next to Rose's. You can have it." She said. Viktoria smiled.

"Thanks Lissa. I appreciate you letting me stay here." She said. Liss grinned.

"It's no problem. Your like family." She said. Christian grinned.

"Our extended, Russian family." He added. Viktoria chuckled.

"Yeah." She said. I chuckled.

"I guess I better get back. I bet Dimitri's out looking for me." I said. Viktoria nodded.

"I'm sure he is." She said.

"What's going on?" Liss asked.

"Trouble in paradise?" Christian asked. I growled.

"Nothing. We had a disagreement. Everything's fine." I said.

"Rose." She started. I shook my head and met her gaze.

"I'm serious. Everything's fine." I said. Lissa looked at Viktoria and raised an eyebrow. Viktoria nodded.

"It's okay." She said. Lissa nodded.

"Okay." She finally said, content with my back-up. I laughed, and hugged her, and waved to Christian before Viktoria and I walked out. I walked into our room to find Dimitri sitting at the counter. Viktoria smiled at him, and looked at me.

"I'm definitely going to go to my new room. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." She said, grabbing her things and all but running out the door. I stood there, staring at Dimitri. He never made a move, or spoke. He just stared at me.

"You going to say something, or you just going to sit there and stare?" I asked. He looked down at his hands, and back up at me.

"I don't know what else you want me to say." He said. I shrugged.

"I figured you'd yell at me or something some more."

"I wasn't yelling at you, Rose. Your being-" I cut him off.

"Don't." I snapped.

"Your being hard-headed, Rose. We're trying to protect you." He said.

"I don't need him protecting me. He's a moroi. It's supposed to be the other way around." I said.

"Rose… You should let him charm your ring." I started to object, but he cut me off. "I know you don't need the ring, Rose. I've seen you live without. I know you're pretty good at controlling it, but Rose… It's not good for you to let the darkness eat at you. Whether you can do it or not is irrelevant to the fact that it's bad for you." He said. "You could end up like Anna, Rose. None of us want that for you."

"I'll never be like her." I growled.

"It's possible. Anna couldn't help it that she was like that. It wasn't her choice. It's what darkness made her become." He said.

"I'm not going to let Adrian hurt himself because of me. Like I've said… I'm the cause of his side effects of darkness to begin with. I'm not going to make it worse… again." I said.

"Roza.." He started. I shook my head.

"I don't want to do this with you. I've made up my mind, and your not going to change it. I'm not letting him do it. I'm protecting him." I said. He stood up, and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him.

"I don't want you to get hurt. I know darkness can get bad, and with your temper." He said, smiling slightly. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll survive. I'm glad your trying to help me, but.. I can handle it." I promised. He nodded.

"I believe it. I believe in you. It' just.. You scare me with this darkness. I know how you get." He said.

"I'll be fine." I whispered. I reached up and kissed him.

"Adrian isn't going to be very happy. I told him I'd be able to talk you into it." He said. I smiled.

"He'll get over it." I said.

"He'll have too huh?" Dimitri said. I nodded. I yawned.

"I'm so tired." I murmured. He smiled. We went into the room, and curled up in bed, slowly falling asleep. I shouldn't have expected anything less than Adrian showing up in my dreams.

"Don't start." I said before he was fully into view.

"Rose.. Please."

"No."

"Please."

"Negative. I'm not letting you hurt yourself because of me. How many times do I have to say that?" I asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'll be fine?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter how many times you tell me. I'm not going to believe you, and I'm still not letting you charm my ring."

"Your being stubborn." He growled.

"And your being an asshole. Your point?" I asked. He didn't say anything, and just stared.

"Ivashkov is speechless. Rose: one, Ivashkov: zero." I said. He growled.

"If you can deal with darkness, I can do it to. Let me do this for you."

"No. I've been dealing with Darkness since I've been bonded. You haven't been dealing with it of this magnitude for a long time. You're still learning. When you get better at it, I might let you charm it, but until that day comes… You wont be charming my ring." I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Rose. I'm done arguing. You want to suffer, you go right ahead." He said.

"Darkness doesn't make me suffer. I'm used to it. You aren't. That's why your suffering and why you wont be charming anything for me." I snapped. He growled.

"I'm tired of arguing with you."

"And I'm tired of arguing with you, so give up. You lost." I snapped.

"Whatever. Goodnight Rose." He said. The dream world faded around us, and I was back in my own dreams. I smiled. That got rid of him quick. I snuggled closer to Dimitri and fell back into a deep sleep.


	22. Equivalent to Death!

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri getting dressed beside the bed. I giggled, and whistled at him. He turned around, and chuckled.

"Goodmorning to you too." He said, buttoning his jeans and walking over to the side of the bed. He leaned down and kissed me.

"It definitely is." I admitted. He smiled down at me. He grabbed his black t-shirt and pulled it on over his head. I sat up and ran a hand through my knotted hair. He chuckled at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You hair looks funny." He admitted. I growled, and shook my head a little bit, trying to fix it. He snorted.

"What?"

"You made it worse." He said. I rolled my eyes and got up and grabbed my brush, running it through my tangled hair.

"Happy?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. You look better when you have the whole sex hair thing going on." He said, grinning at me. I attempted to raise an eyebrow, causing him to laugh even more.

"God, do I love you Roza. It's never a boring day with you." He said.

"You knew that from the beginning." I told him. He nodded.

"It's true. That's why I married you."

"That's not the only reason you married me." I said, wagging my eyebrows at him. He smiled, and nodded.

"True." He murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist, and pulled me against him. He pulled my mouth to his, and kissed me sweetly.

"You may want to get dressed. You have to work today, you know." He said. I nodded. I grabbed a change of clothes, and got ready. Once I was done, I sighed.

"I have a feeling, Lissa is going to be planning wedding details and such today." I said. He chuckled.

"Oh, I know how much you love that." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Shove it, Belikov." I snapped. He grinned. I turned to leave, heading to the throne room, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Excuse me, where's my good-bye kiss?" He asked, feigning a frown.

"You don't get one." I said, turning my head away from him. He pushed me up against the door, and grinned.

"How much you wanna bet I do?" He asked, meeting my eyes. I smiled.

"Not a dime. You know I'll win. I always do." I said. He smiled, and leaned in, pressing soft kisses to my neck. I knew what he was doing. I had to be strong. I had to fight. God, his lips felt so good on my skin. It was my heaven. I felt my head fall back a little bit.

"It's not going to work." I breathed.

"Are you sure?" He asked, kissing up the line of my jaw. I nodded, but then shook my head. He laughed against the skin of my neck, causing goosebumps to rise.

"Damn you." I muttered, grabbing his face, and bringing his mouth roughly to mine. He chuckled when I pulled away.

"Have a good day at work, love." He said. I rolled my eyes and pushed him off me.

"Yeah, whatever." I said, winking at him before walking out the door. I heard him chuckle. I walked down to the throne room, where I knew Lissa would be. When I walked in, she had a pad of paper in her lap, and Christian sitting at her feet. I smiled as I walked in.

"Rose, your just in time." Lissa said. I nodded. Of course I was.

"I figured my expertise would be needed." I said. Christian snorted.

"Shut it fire boy."

"Nice to see you too Rose." He said, smiling at me. I nodded.

"Always is." I told him. He rolled his eyes. "What are you doing?" I asked Lissa.

"I swear, you two fight like you're the one's that are supposed to be getting married." She said. I looked at Christian and laughed out loud.

"In his dreams." I said. He snorted.

"Definitely in yours."

"No. That's actually a lie." I said. I paused and then chuckled. "The only guy actually 'in' my dreams is Adrian, but that's only because he's a-" Christian cut me off, finishing for me.

"Creep?" He asked. I chuckled.

"Sure. I guess that works." I said. He smiled.

"Anyway… before you interrupted me, what colors should I use as my wedding scheme?" She asked.

"White and pink?" I tried.

"Those are the traditional ones. I want something different." She said. I sat there for a second.

"What about black and white?" I asked. She smiled.

"That's definitely different. Isn't that more like a funeral?" Christian asked. I laughed.

"Getting married to you would be the equivalent of death." I said.

"ROSE!" Lissa exclaimed. I was rolling on the ground laughing at this point. Christian knew it was funny, but he didn't make a move to laugh.

"It was funny and you know it." I said. Lissa shook her head.

"It wasn't." She said. I could tell she was fighting back a smile. I looked at Christian to see he hadn't made a move to make a comeback. I laughed.

"Ozera, rendered speechless. Belikov: One, Ozera: Zero." I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, what about baby blue and white?" She asked.

"It's your wedding, Lissa. Baby blue and white go good together. If that's what you want, we'll do it." I said. She nodded.

"I think I like it." She said. "Plus, it matches Christian's eyes." She gazed down into his eyes. I made a gagging noise. She attempted to slap me, but I neatly dodged.

"Do you think Bailey could come home to be my ring girl?" She asked.

"Of course."

"Good. Obviously, you'll be my maid of honor." She said, grinning.

"Of course." I said, smiling back at her.

"Dimitri will be my best man." Christian said. I looked at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I was expecting you to say Adrian would be your best man." I said, honestly.

"No. Dimitri's saved Lissa's life to many times for me not to consider him my best man. He saved my life." Christian said, gazing up at Lissa again.

"You know, if you two want to eye fuck each other, do it when people aren't around." I said. Lissa rolled her eyes.

"I swear Rose. I question why I'm friends with you sometimes."

"Because you love me. That's why your friends with me." I said.

"Why she loves you, I don't understand."

"Why wouldn't anyone love me?" I asked.

"Because your hard-headed, and stubborn." Another voice said. I looked up to see Adrian. _Shit. _Here we go.

"Not all the time." I said. He nodded.

"Twenty-four seven, actually." He said.

"Don't start." I muttered. He shook his head.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked, looking at Lissa.

"Wedding plans." She said. He wrinkled his nose.

"Fun." He said. She nodded. Christian looked between Adrian and I, and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I sense tension between you two?" He asked.

"Definitely not." I said, looking at Adrian, giving him one of those if-you-say-anything-you-die glares. He apparently didn't get it.

"Tension? Nah, just me wanting to knock some sense into her." Adrian said. I groaned.

"Yepp, I'm taking my lunch break. I'll be back later." I said, getting up and starting towards the door.

"Rose, wait.." Lissa said.

"I'll be back later." I promised. She said nothing more as I walked out of the throne room. I heard Adrian running after me, but I kept walking. As I started down the hallway towards our room, Adrian caught me.

"Rose.. Come on." He said. I stopped and turned to him.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded.

"I want you to let me charm your ring. Charm something for you to keep the darkness away." He said. I shook my head.

"No." I said.

"Why?"

"I'm not doing this with you again, Ivashkov. Give it a rest. I'm not letting you charm my ring." I said, as I gazed into his eyes, I felt this pull to him, like I wanted to do whatever he told me too. I quickly realized what he was doing. He was trying to compel me. I pushed him away quickly, blinking hard.

"What the hell, Adrian? Trying to compel me." I snapped, rage filling me now.

"Your being ridiculous." He snapped.

"And your getting on my last fucking nerve." I said. I could feel darkness starting to bubble out of me.

"I'm sorry that I fucking care about you, Rose."

"A lot of people care about me, but they don't keep jumping down my throat every time I tell them no." I growled. I was losing it. I'd gone almost three days with a ring with little or no magic. I was completely unprotected now.

"Rose, do you not understand how dangerous this is for you? Going unprotected?" He asked. I felt like someone was trying to teach me about unsafe sex, with all this talk about unprotectedness. The darkness bubbled out of me a little more this time, until I stepped closer to him, causing him to step back. His back was against a wall now, no where for him to run or hide.

"No, what you don't get is how it's unsafe for you. Your just learning about darkness, learning how to control it, learning what it does to you, the mind frame it puts you in. Your just learning what its like to be crazy. Me? I've been this way. I've been bonded to Lissa for awhile, and I know what darkness is like. If anyone is in danger here, it's you. Your just learning, meaning darkness is having a bigger effect on you than it is me. So, all this talk about me being in danger because of darkness, is stupid, because I'm going to be just fucking fine." I snapped. By the time I was done yelling, I was in Adrian's face, only a few inches away. He just stared into my eyes. For a second, I was almost afraid he was going to kiss me. He didn't though. He nodded.

"Your right." He finally said. I opened my mouth to argue, but then met his gaze.

"What?" I asked.

"Your right. The whole.. Darkness thing is more dangerous to me than it is to you." He said. I nodded.

"Thank you. For the first time, your actually listening." I said. He nodded.

"I'm sorry. It's just.. I worry about you. I love you, Rose."

"I love you too, Adrian, but I can take care of myself. I know what I can and can't handle." I said. He nodded.

"I've got to go. I'll catch you later." He said. He kissed my forehead and started to walk away. I stood there, staring after him. What he didn't realize, and I'll probably never tell him… It took everything I had not to punch him square in the jaw. I watched too so bad, but I knew I couldn't lose my temper in front of him. I'm glad I didn't, but God, did I want too. I shook my head. It was going to be a long nine months before Lissa could charm me a new ring. I laid my head against the wall where Adrian had once been, and groaned. _Shit. _


	23. Hero&Heroine!

When I got back to my room, Dimitri looked up and arched a perfect eyebrow.

"Your home early?" He said. I just nodded. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope. Everything's fine. I just took a lunch break. Liss was doing wedding plans." I told him, hoping that was believable. He looked at me for a second, and nodded.

"How's that going? Wedding plans, I mean." He said. I groaned, and he chuckled. I went to the cabinets and grabbed a granola bar, and scarfed it down. I went and sat on the couch next to him, and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I have something for you." He said. I looked up at him, and attempted to raise an eyebrow. He smiled.

"What?" I asked. He pulled out a box that looked like it contained a necklace and smiled. I just stared at him."What do you want?" I asked.

"Nothing. I can't buy you nice things every once and awhile?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Not without wanting me to do something in return." I told him, opening the box. The necklace was gorgeous. In the box set a long silver chain, with a gorgeous sapphire stone hanging from it.

"What's this for? It's beautiful." I said.

"Just because I love you." He said. I touched the necklace to pull it out of the box, and felt it. It hit me like a tidal wave it was so strong. _Adrian. _The necklace was charmed. I turned to look at him.

"You didn't." I almost growled.

"What?"

"You had him charm it, didn't you?" I demanded.

"No.. I mean, not exactly. I bought it to give it to you, but when Adrian found out, he wanted to charm it. I didn't exactly tell him no, though." He explained. I just glared at him, not sure who to be more mad at. I got up, knowing exactly who I was going after.

"Rose, don't. He's just worried about you." Dimitri tried. I shook my head.

"He's a liar. He told me he understood. I should have known he gave up to easily earlier. I'll kill the little-" I couldn't finish the sentence before I turned and ran out. I went to his room first to find it empty. As I headed back towards the throne room, I watched him walk out the front door. I started after him, throwing the door opened. He turned to look at me, but the moment I opened my mouth to yell, someone had their arms around his throat. The strigoi nausea hit me. I met their eyes to see them rimmed with red.

"No. Adrian.." I started. The strigoi smiled.

"Don't move Hathaway, or I'll snap his neck like a twig." The strigoi snarled.

"Rose, run." Adrian choked. Always the hero.

"Let him go. It's not him you want, and you know it." I said, inching towards them, little by little.

"Any royal blood will do. You know that, Rosemarie." He said. I growled.

"How the hell do you know my name?" I demanded. He smiled.

"I know a lot about you, Rose. I know you're the queens guardian. I also know your precious daughter attends St. Vladimirs Academy." He said. I started towards him, rage filling me.

"I swear, if you go anywhere near my daughter, I will rip you apart." Adrian gagged as the strigoi tightened his grip. I stopped instantly, backing up.

"Please, let him go."

"Begging gets you nowhere Hathaway. You should know that by now." He sneered.

"Take me. Let him go. I'm the queen's guardian. If you get me away from her, you have an open shot to get to her." I tried.

"Rose, stop." Adrian said.

"Quiet. No one gave you permission to speak Ivashkov." The strigoi growled. He looked back up at me.

"You may be right, but that doesn't mean we have to let this one go." He said. My stomach stirred again, and before I could turn around to defend myself, I was hit over the head with something… hard, causing everything else to go black.

* * *

"Rose, please wake up." Adrian said. I could tell by the sound of his voice, he was crying. When I opened my eyes, everything was blurry, and it was dark. I couldn't really see anything, and it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust.

"Adrian?" I asked, completely confused and disoriented. "Where are we?"

"The back of a van. I don't know where we are." He said. I was completely confused. Then, the last ten minutes I was conscious came thundering back down on me. We'd been captured, and abducted my strigoi. I tried to move my hands, but they were restrained behind me.

"Damn it. How long have we been in this van?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe thirty minutes." He said. I maneuvered myself into a sitting position."Rose, what are we going to do?" He asked, tears streaming down his face. "We're going to die, aren't we? We're going to die and it's going to be my fault." I shook my head.

"Adrian, no. Look at me." I said. He looked up and met my gaze. "We aren't going to die. I'm going to get you out of here, you understand?"

"What do you mean, your going to get _me _out of here?" He asked.

"I'm going to do my best to get you back to court." I said.

"And what about you?" He asked. I hesitated.

"I haven't exactly figured that part out yet."

"I don't think so. I'm not playing this whole hero/heroine game with you. I'm not leaving unless your with me." He snapped.

"I don't have time to play this game with you, Adrian. I'm trying to save your life here."

"I don't care. It's either both of us, or neither of us. I'm not getting out of this place without you." He argued. I automatically shut up. I could feel the darkness bubbling out of me. I knew if I opened my mouth, I'd say something I'd regret, and I didn't want to do that. The van felt silent for awhile, and nothing was said."Rose?" He murmured. I looked up at him, meeting his tortured gaze.

"What?" I asked, trying to keep my breathing normal.

"I don't want you to get hurt for me."

"I'm a guardian. It's what I'm supposed to do." I told him, holding back.

"Your not my guardian."

"It doesn't matter." I said, through my teeth.

"Your losing it, aren't you?" He asked.

"I'm fine. I've just got to focus on getting you out of here."

"Rose.."

"Adrian, shut up." I said, closing my eyes. I was thinking of strategies. I couldn't really tell if my stake was still on my hip or not. I didn't have my hands to check.

"Did they take my stake?" I asked him.

"I don't know." He said. The van all of the sudden halted to a stop.

"Prepare yourself for anything. Stay strong, and I'm going to get you out of here." I said. He opened his mouth to argue, but the doors of the van opened, and the strigoi started in, grabbing us.

"Ahh, Hathaway, your awake. Just in time." said the strigoi that had held Adrian hostage. I said nothing, hoping it'd buy me more time. As they pulled us out of the van, I looked around, trying to find something, anything to let me know where I was. I saw a sign that said Missoula International Airport, ten miles. I knew that sign would soon be mine and Adrian's lifesaver. When they got us inside, they lead us into a room, and pretty much threw us onto the ground.

"I'm just going to let you know now, Rose. You try to escape, we will kill both of you slowly." He said.

"What? So right now, our deaths will be quick and painless? I doubt it." I smarted back. If we were going to die, I was going out true Hathaway style.

"I must say, your something else Hathaway. I can only imagine what your daughters like." He said, grinning wickedly.

"I swear to God, if you go anywhere near her, I will strike you down." I growled, losing it.

"We'll see." He said.

"By the way, I'm Nick, and this is Eric." The strigoi said.

"Your both parasites. I don't give two shits what your names are." I spat at them.

"Your feisty. I like you. When we do get around to killing the two of you, I think I'm going to turn you. I might like to keep your around. Your so pretty." He said.

"Fuck you." I snapped.

"That's quite an offer, but I'll have to pass for now." He said, before him and his strigoi buddy walked out.

"Rose, you've got to calm down. Your going to get us killed." Adrian said. I shook my head.

"I'm doing what I always do. Now, hush. I've got to go to Lissa. Maybe I can get us out of here."

"Don't get her involved." He said.

"How the hell else would you like me to get a hold of the people at court? I can't really use my cell phone right now." I said, smartly. He didn't say anything else, so I closed my eyes, falling into Lissa's head. She apparently already knew, because she was running around, crying like a mad woman.

"Where was the last place she was seen?" Dimitri's voice rang out loud and clear over the room.

"She followed Lord Ivashkov out the front doors. That's the last anyone's seen of her." One of the guardians said. Dimitri just nodded. He was on the verge of losing it too. He didn't know where I was, and knew it was possible I could die. How he held together so well all the time, I'd never begin to understand. I then felt Lissa calling out to me.

"Rose.. Come on. I need you to help me. Let me know where you are." She said, sending it to me in her head. The only problem, this bond worked one way. I didn't know how to answer her. I thought as hard as I could, but I didn't know if she could actually hear me. I tried and tried to project to her an image of the sign I saw outside, but she never showed any signed of knowing. I tried again, with all the strength I had in my body, and I felt her recognize it. She saw it.

"God, Rose. We're hurrying." She said, in her head. I knew if they didn't make it quick, it was possible Adrian and I weren't getting out of here.


	24. Hello World

It was quiet for a long time. The strigoi never came back. Adrian fell asleep against the wall he'd managed to prop himself up against. I had other plans. I managed to stand up, and maneuver around the room, looking for anything that could cut the ropes off my wrist. Just outside the door, I heard footsteps, and quickly threw myself back onto the floor. The door was flung open, causing Adrian to wake. The strigoi, Nick stood before us.

"How are our guests doing?" He asked, eyes on me.

"We're doing just lovely, thanks." I smarted back. He smiled.

"Glad to hear it."

"Where's your buddy, thing two?" I asked, being a complete smart ass. Nick chuckled. The sound was like ice, causing me to shudder.

"He went out. It's just me now." He informed me.

"Ahh. Awesome." I said, rolling my eyes. He smiled and took a few steps closer to me.

"I'm really thirsty, but… I didn't really want to go out. I figured, I've got someone right here." He said. I growled.

"Don't you even think about it." I snapped.

"Oh, I'm definitely thinking about it." He said. I backed away from him, making it to my feet.

"You wont touch me." I said. He took another steps closer to me, and I struck out to kick him, but he deflected it and moved behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and neck, keeping me from moving, or trying to get out. Adrian's face was so afraid.

"Please, don't. If your going to bite someone, bite me. I'm royal. It's my blood you want." Adrian said.

"Adrian, stop." I gagged. Nick shook his head. I fought against him, wiggling, trying to get out of his hold. I knew it was doing me no good.

"So brave of you moroi, but… dhampirs taste better." He said. He then sank his teeth into my neck. I fought against him at first, but then, the endorphins were flowing through my system, and there was nothing I could do. I had no will to fight. I was on cloud nine, and that's where I wanted to stay. He released me, and dropped me to the ground.

"Told you they taste better." Nick said, wiping his mouth. He then turned and walked out.

"Rose? Rose… talk to me." Adrian said, scooting closer to me.

"I think I want to sleep now." I whispered, rolling over.

"Rose, no. You can't go to sleep. Please."

"Why?"

"There going to come back. Come on. You've got to be awake. Please, don't fall asleep on me now. I need you." He begged. I wasn't really listening. His voice was just a dull noise in the back ground. I felt him lay his hand over my neck where Nick had bitten me, and felt his magic start coursing through me. Everything I was feeling, all the loopiness from the endorphins drifted away with the bite wound that was on my neck.

"Adrian, what did I tell you about using your magic. Damn it." I snapped, as I sat up. Adrian's eyes were wide. I reached up and touched the bite wound.

"You… you healed me." I said. He nodded.

"I did."

"And… it took… it took away the side-effects of the endorphins too." I said. He smiled through the tears.

"As mad as I should be at you right now," I said, narrowing my eyes, "thank you." He nodded. I got myself back to my feet and started looking for something in the room to cut our ropes. I found a pocket knife, buried deep down in a box, and pulled it out. With your hands tied behind your back, this is a loud, and hard process. I heard footsteps outside, and froze. The footsteps stopped, and then I heard voices. I was safe for now. I went back to sit down by Adrian and opened the pocket knife. I started rubbing it back and forth on the ropes until I felt them give way. I sighed and pulled my hands free. My wrists were bleeding now, partly from the ropes, and partly because I couldn't see what I was doing with the knife. I went to Adrian and cut the ropes off his wrists. When his hands were free, he grabbed my wrist and healed them.

"Damn you." I muttered. "When they come in, keep your hands behind your back like their still tied." I grabbed the ropes and threw them across the room into a box. My stake was gone, which I should have known. A girl could hope though. I shoved the open pocket knife into my back pocket. It wasn't charmed silver, but it was silver nonetheless. It'd buy us some time. I went to the door, and placed my ear against it, listening.

"We can't just leave them here. Have you heard about that Hathaway girl? She'll kill both of us if we're not careful. She's a badass. She's taken our numbers down immensely. She killed Elijah and Elena back in Spokane, remember." One of them said.

"She's not going to get out. She's tied up tight. She only got out in Spokane, because she had a fire user with her. He's not a fire user. I'm not sure what he is." Another strigoi admitted.

"We've got to do something with them quick. The courts guardians are probably headed this way." One said.

"And we'll kill them all." Nick said, as if he was so sure. I turned to Adrian, and sighed.

"How good are you at fist fights?" I asked.

"I've been in two?" He tried.

"Did you win?"

"One of them." He said. I groaned.

"Fuck." I said. I went and sat down next to him, and went to Lissa.

"Dimitri, your not driving fast enough. She could be dead." Liss complained.

"She's going to be fine. She's not dead." Dimitri said quickly.

"You seem so sure." Liss said quickly.

"You'd know if she was dead." He practically spat at her. The van fell silent.

"Can you guys quit arguing? We don't have time for this. We've got lives to save." Christian said, grabbing Lissa's hand. She just nodded.

"Sorry, Dimitri." She cooed.

"It's alright. I know your just worried." He said, voice tight. He was on edge. I could tell. I felt horrible for getting myself into this, but if I wouldn't have walked outside when I did, Adrian would have been alone, and probably would have died a lot quicker. I'm glad I was captured to. The chances of him getting out of here were a lot higher now, with me here.

"They'll be here soon." I whispered, to him. He nodded. "We'll wait until their closer, and then we're going to bust out of here."

"What if we don't have that long?" He asked.

"We will. Their scared of me. That's why they haven't actually tried to kill us yet." I told him. Adrian chuckled.

"Strigoi are smart." He said. I nodded.

"When we get back to court-" I started, but he cut me off.

"_If _we get back to court." He corrected. I shook my head and grabbed his hand.

"No, its _when _we get back to court, your in for an ass whooping, I hope you know that." I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"The necklace you charmed?" I demanded.

"You knew about that?"

"I could feel the magic in it, it was so strong. You're a moron when it comes to being sneaky." I told him. He chuckled.

"You were coming after me to yell, weren't you?" He asked. I nodded. He looked down. "You being taken too is my fault."

"It's not. I'm glad I was taken. You would have never gotten out of here on your own, you know?" I said. He nodded.

"I know." He said.

"Why did you even go outside?" I demanded.

"I saw something. I was going to see what it was." He told me. I nodded.

"It was Nick." I said.

"I know that now." Adrian said. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry about it now. We've just got to focus on getting out of here." I said. He nodded. We sat there for awhile, before I heard footsteps coming towards the door.

"Get ready. Follow my lead." I whispered. He nodded. I knew I had to keep up my endorphin filled pretense for them to not consider me a threat yet. When they opened it, I put this dopey look on my face and held my hands on my back.

"How we feeling, Mrs. Hathaway?" Nick asked.

"Perfect." I said, giving him a lazy grin, hoping my plan was working. He didn't seem to notice.

"Your friends haven't showed up yet. Do you even think they notice your gone?" He asked. Adrian answered.

"I'm sure they know." He said.

"Was I speaking to you, moroi?" Nick snapped. I looked around the room. There were three of them. I was positive I could take two out at a time, but that was with my stake, and right now, I didn't have it. I had to find it. It had to be here somewhere.

"I don't know if my friends are coming or not. They might just leave us here to die." I said.

"Rose!" Adrian exclaimed.

"No one gave you permission to speak, moroi. Don't make me regret letting you live this long." He snapped. I didn't say anything, but I managed to stagger to my feet without showing my hands weren't tied up. Acting like I was high wasn't really that hard of a task. I'd been bitten enough times to know. He smiled.

"You feel good, don't you?" Nick asked. I smiled lazily again, and nodded. Then, before he knew what happened, I lunged at him, swinging a fist, and catching him hard in the face. Adrian was on his feet now, swinging on a strigoi trying to restrain him. Nick was faster than me, but I was willing to bet, I could outsmart him. Adrian was able to free himself from the strigoi's grip and run into the main room, giving him more room and possibly a chance for escape. Nick started to follow him, but I grabbed him, pulling the knife out, and shoving it into his chest as far as I could get it to go. He groaned and hit the floor. That'd buy me some time. I ran into the main room, pulling the strigoi off Adrian, long enough for him to get himself ready again. One strigoi went after him, and Eric went after me. I swung a few punches, catching Eric in the face. I kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to stumble, and fall.

"ROSE!" Adrian called. He grabbed my stake off the counter and threw it to me. I caught it, and fought Eric back to the ground, jabbing it into his chest. He cried out, digging his nails into my arms. The pain was dull. The adrenaline pumping through my veins made it unnoticeable. I jumped off him, and took out the one attacking Adrian. I tackled the strigoi to the floor, grappling with him, stake in hand.

"Adrian, run." I said.

"No. I can't leave you." He said.

"I can finish this. Go find Dimitri and Lissa. Their almost here. Hurry." I said, dragging my stake across the strigoi's face. He threw me off of him, standing up. Adrian took off out the door. The strigoi I was fighting tried to go after him, but I grabbed him, pushing him away from the door. He came back at me, kicking me hard in the stomach. He knocked the air out of me, causing me to hit my knees. I knew that was a mistake. He grabbed a hold of me, hitting me with all he had. I felt my vision go blurry, and the blackness started to swallow me. _No. _I couldn't let this happen again. I had to finish it. They knew where Bailey was. I couldn't let them get to her. I pushed him off me, putting myself on top of him. I punched him as hard as I could, using all the strength I could, I then slammed my stake into his chest, digging it into his chest, until I reached his heart. I yanked it out, and stood up. Then, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Nick pull the knife out of his chest. He threw it on the ground and glared at me. My vision was fading in and out. I could barely see.

"I was courteous with you. I wasn't going to kill you. I was going to awaken you, let you live the life someone like you should have." He growled, stepping closer to me. "But now, you've really pissed me off, and I'm going to rip you limb from limb." He ran towards me, trying to tackle me. I hit the ground as he lunged, causing him to miss. I was back on my feet in a second. He threw a punch, but I blocked. We exchanged blows, until he tackled me, putting my back against a wall. I threw a punch, catching him in the jaw. I then dragged my stake across his face, causing his skin to sizzle, and fry. He roared, and tried to throw me onto the ground, but I grabbed a hold of his neck, taking him with me. We both hit the ground hard. I was weak, but so was he. I rolled onto him, trying to stake him, but he was quick, and protected his chest quite well. He punched me in the jaw, causing blood to sling across the room. I quickly got up, kicking him while he was down. He was weak, and was barely able to get up. I kicked him in the head one time, but he didn't let it phase him. He threw himself at me, trying to take me to the ground. It didn't work. I was already ready. The moment he came at me, I shoved my stake straight into his chest. I dug and dug until it wouldn't go any farther. The moment he went limp, I yanked my stake out of his chest. I stood there in the middle of the house, looking around at the strigoi I'd killed. The moment I took in the destruction, and the dead bodies, my vision blurred and my knee's gave. The moment my head hit the floor, the blackness swallowed me.


	25. Answered prayers!

**DIMITRI'S POV**

I drove as fast as I could without being noticed. _Roza, my Roza could be dead._ It was the only coherent thought my mind could actually form. I didn't know where she was, or what had actually happened. I just knew her and Adrian had been taken, and they were somewhere close to the Missoula International Airport. That wasn't enough for me though. I needed to know exactly where she was and I needed to know she was okay. I didn't have that. None of us did. As I drove, I saw someone jogging down the side of the road. I looked hard and saw it was Adrian. I pulled off the side of the road, and jumped out. The poor guy looked like he'd been jumped by a gang. I'm guessing he'd had to fight.

"Adrian, where's Rose?" I said. I wasn't even worried about his well-being. I wanted to know where my wife was.

"She's back at that house.. She told me to come find you guys. She was fighting the strigoi. Please, go help her, Dimitri." He begged. Liss was by my side. "You guys get in the van. Lock the doors, and do not get out. I'm going to get Rose. Which house Adrian?" I asked.

"It's the first street, third house on the left." He said, as him and Lissa went back to the van. I took off running then, not knowing what else to do. If their were strigoi, I knew I couldn't have the moroi anywhere near the place. When I reached the house, the front door was open. I pulled my stake and slowly eased my way inside. There were four bodies on the floor, but I only had eyes for one. She was face down on the floor, and I couldn't tell if she was actually alive.

"Roza?" The word was barely audible. I ran to her side, pulling her onto my lap. "Rose, come on. Wake up… please, answer me." I begged. There was nothing. I laid my head against her chest to hear her heart beating softly. She was alive, and that's what mattered. Three strigoi, and she'd taken them on all by herself. She was battered, bloody and bruised, but she was alive. That was all that mattered. I picked her up into my arms. She hadn't made a move, or even the slightest noise, but her heart was beating, and at least I had that much.

"Stay with me, Roza." I murmured, as I carried her out of the house, and out into the street. It was late, and this was a human neighborhood. It wouldn't surprise me if they cops didn't show up soon. I walked slowly, not wanting to jar her around to much. She still hadn't made a move. When the van came into view, Adrian bailed out, and came running.

"Is she alive?" He asked, tears streaming down his pale, and bloody face.

"She's alive." I assured him. For how long, I couldn't tell you. She looked pretty beat up.

"Drive back to court please." I said, climbing into the back, and pulling her onto my lap. Lissa looked at me.

"Do you want me to heal her?" She asked. I shook my head.

"She wouldn't want that. She's scared of what the magic's darkness will do to your baby. We'll only heal her if she sincerely needs it. Just let her do it on her own for now." I told Lissa. She didn't look happy, but she nodded. Christian pattered her hand, as he met my gaze.

"You alright man?" He asked.

"I will be as soon as she wakes up." I told him. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and took it out to see Bailey's number. _Shit. _

"Hello?" I answered. I could tell she was crying.

"Daddy, what's wrong with mommy?" She asked. They really did have a bond somehow. Bailey knew when something was wrong with Rose, just as Rose knew something was wrong with Bailey.

"She… she's hurt right now baby, but mommy's going to be fine." I knew I shouldn't have said that. I didn't even know that for myself.

"What happened?" She asked again.

"Bailey, mommy and Adrian were captured by strigoi." I heard her sob on the other line. I felt horrible having to tell her this.

"Is Uncle Adrian okay?"

"Yeah, Uncle Adrian's fine. Mommy's hurt, but she's going to get better. I promise." I said, lying once again. I didn't know that.

"Can I talk to her?" Bailey asked.

"She's sleeping right now." I told her, lying to her again. "I'll have her call you when she wakes up. Okay?"

"Okay." She said. I then heard Eddie's voice. "Daddy, Eddie wants to talk to you."

"Put him on." I said, voice hard. It was getting harder for me. I was going to lose it soon.

"Dimitri, what's going on?" He asked.

"Rose and Adrian were captured earlier today by strigoi. We've got them both now, but Rose took out three strigoi on her own. She's unconscious right now. We just found her." I explained.

"Is she going to be okay?" Eddie asked.

"God, I hope so." I said, before hanging up the phone. I couldn't talk about it anymore. I put my phone back in my pocket, and gazed down into Rose's unconscious face.

"Come on, Roza. Wake up for me. Please?" I begged, touching her face. Christian and Lissa were looking at me. I felt a tear roll down my face, and fall onto hers. I quickly wiped it off, but it'd already been seen. I sent a silent prayer to God. All I wanted was for her to wake up. That's all I'd ever ask for, ever again. Just let her wake up. Anything else, we could handle. It took awhile for us to get back to court. When we got there, I bailed out with Rose, carrying her into the infirmary and laying her in one of the beds.

"I need medical care, NOW." I said, letting people know I wasn't playing. I needed to know she was okay. The nurses rushed over, checking her vitals and everything.

"What happened?" One asked.

"Strigoi attack. She took on three strigoi by herself." I told them. They nodded.

"She's alive, but her brain's just secluded itself so that's why she's unconscious. She'll wake up when she's ready. She's been through a lot, so her brain is protecting it's self." The nurse told me.

"And if she doesn't wake up?" I asked.

"She'll go into a coma." She answered, before walking out. I sat down by Rose's bed and took her hand.

"Come on Roza. I need you to wake up for me. Just wake up and look at me, that's all I'll need. Then you can sleep as long as you want." I whispered. A nurse came in, and hooked her up to an IV and told me that in about an hour they were going to take some x-rays and such to see if she had any broken bones or bruising on the inside. I just nodded.

"Come on baby, please. Wake up for me." I whispered, bringing her hand to my cheek.

"Dimitri?" The sound was hoarse, and pain-filled, but it was her voice.

"Roza? Baby, I'm right here." I said, squeezing her hand. Her eyes fluttered and opened slowly. She moved her head, and looked over at me.

"Comrade?" She said, smiling.

"I'm here."

"It took you long enough to find us." She muttered. I chuckled, and gently wrapped my arms around her. She winced, and groaned. I pulled away quickly, and smiled apologetically. She grinned a little.

"Where does it hurt?" I asked.

"Everywhere." She admitted. "My stomachs the worst. I think I've got some broken ribs. I took a few hard kicks to the stomach."

"We're going to get you checked out. I promise." I said. Then, she gasped.

"Adrian, where's Adrian?" She demanded, trying to sit up. She winced, and groaned, but managed to completely sit up anyway.

"He's here. He's probably getting checked out too." I told her, helping her back down.

"I was so afraid I wasn't going to be able to get him out."

"You did it. You killed three strigoi all by yourself." I said, smiling.

"Yeah, and it was hell." She said, holding her stomach.

"Bailey called." I told her. She gave me one of those looks. "She knew you were hurt. Your bond works both ways too."

"She knows I was captured?"

"Yeah. She called and I had to tell her." I admitted. She shook her head.

"I had the chance to escape without killing all three of the strigoi." She told me. "But I couldn't. They knew Bailey went to school at St. Vladimirs. I wasn't going to leave until they were dead." I shook my head.

"You're a warrior."

"I'm an idiot. Any normal person would have ran." She said. I chuckled.

"You did what any good mom would do."

"A human mom wouldn't have been captured by strigoi, and if she was… she wouldn't have been able to fight her way out." She told me. I nodded in agreement.

"Your right." I told her. She smiled and giggled. The sound was like a gift from God, just another reminder that she was okay.

"I'm glad your okay. I was so scared." I admitted. She giggled again, and nodded.

"I know. I heard."

"What?"

"You've never heard that even people in a coma can hear when people talk to them?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"They can. I could hear you. I tried to wake up… but I couldn't." She told me. I nodded.

"Your awake now, that's all that matters." I told her. The doctor came in, and smiled.

"Oh good, your awake. That means less work for us." She said. Rose chuckled.

"Nice motto to have." She joked. The doctor laughed.

"Can you walk?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, I can." Rose told her.

"Rose, no. You need to rest. Do you have a wheelchair?" I asked the doctor.

"Absolutely." The doctor responded, she left to get a wheelchair.

"No. I can walk. I'll be fine." She told me. I shook my head.

"You need to take it easy." I protested. She growled.

"I'm fine. See, watch." She said. She pushed herself up out of the hospital bed. She groaned and winced as she did it, but nonetheless, she did it. When she got to her feet, she stumbled and almost fell.

"Roza." I said, grabbing her. She smiled, and giggled.

"I'm just kidding, Comrade. It hurts, yes, but I'm fine. I can handle it." She told me. I growled.

"Don't do that to me." I snapped. She smiled, and brought her swollen mouth to mine.

"I'm sorry I scared you." She murmured.

"You'd do it again."

"In a heartbeat." She answered simply. I nodded. The doctor returned with the wheelchair, but Rose smiled.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, but I can walk. I'll be fine." She told her. The doctor smiled.

"No trouble. It's what I do." She said. Rose nodded.

"What kind of tests are we doing?" Rose asked.

"Full body MRI and full body X-Ray." She told her. Rose groaned, and nodded.

"Dimitri, will you go to the room and get me a change of clothes, so I can change when I get back?" She asked. I smiled, and nodded.

"Of course, love." I walked over to her, and kissed her gently.

"I'll be back soon." She murmured.

"Have fun." I said. She growled a little bit as the doctor took her off to do her tests. I then started off to get her a change of clothes, thanking the heavens above that she was okay.


	26. This Is How A Heart Breaks!

The tests seemed to take forever. I was really ready to go home, and crawl in bed. I was tired. I'd just killed three strigoi for Christ sake. I couldn't have a few hours to rest before they started testing me, and poking at me like some experiment. When they finally finished, the nurse smiled.

"You can go back to your examination room, and wait. The doctor will be in shortly to go over the results." She told me. I just nodded. I walked out, and went back into the room I'd been in when I woke up. Dimitri was sitting in the chair by the bed, book in hand. A pair of jeans and a tank top were laid out over the bed. When I walked in, Dimitri looked up, and smiled.

"How'd it go?"

"It went." I said, grimacing. He chuckled.

"Did they give you the results?" He asked. I shook my head.

"They told me to come back here, and the doctor would come in, and tell me what they said."

"Okay." He said. He got up, and shut the door for me, so I could change. I pulled my shirt off over my head, wincing as I got it over my head. I heard Dimitri's sharp intake of breath.

"Is it that bad?" I asked, scared to look down. He walked over to me, and let his fingers trace over it. I looked down to see this humongous black and blue spot. I grimaced. It looked absolutely disgusting.

"Does it hurt?" He asked. I shook my head.

"It isn't that bad." I said. I looked myself over. Besides the bruise, there were some pretty nasty scratches. I looked like hell. I pulled the tank top over my head, and looked up to meet Dimitri's gaze. He didn't look so happy anymore.

"I'm okay." I promised him. "It's just a bruise. I've had one like that before."

"Not that bad." He said, shaking his head.

"I'll live, I'm sure." I told him. I undid my jeans and pulled the down, slipping the new pair on. I crawled into the hospital bed, and laid down. Dimitri took my hand, and laid his head against the bed. We laid there like that for awhile. I tried to sleep. Just a power nap, thirty minutes was all I needed, but for some reason, I couldn't. I was nervous about the results of my tests. After seeing that bruise, it was possible that something was really wrong with me. I became uneasy, and Dimitri must have sensed it. He pressed his lips to my scarred up hand, and smiled.

"Everything's going to be fine, Roza." He murmured. Surely, that would make me feel better, right? Wrong.

"What if it's not? What if something's really wrong with me?" I asked.

"If something's really wrong, or your really hurt, we'll get through it. There's nothing we can't get through together. I promise." He murmured. I met his eyes, and smiled. I nodded once, and closed my eyes. Regardless of his calming words, sleep never came. I heard the door open not long after, and opened my eyes to see the doctor, standing at the foot of my bed with my chart.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Belikov?"

"I'm fine. I'm just ready to go to bed." I admitted, hoping that'd entice her to tell me what was wrong with me, and let me go on my way.

"I would imagine.. Anyway, your tests came back normal. You have a few broken ribs, but we suspected that. Those can be taken care of accordingly. I do have some bad news though." She said. I felt my heart skip a beat. _Of course. _It couldn't have been that simple. Dimitri squeezed my hand. I met her gaze.

"What?"

"Mrs. Belikov, were you aware you were pregnant?" She asked. Pregnant? The word rang out over all of them. Pregnant, as in… another child. Another baby. Then, her actually question hit me like a battering ram.

"What do you mean, were? Were, as in past tense?" I asked. I felt my control slipping. She met my gaze.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Belikov. We think that all the fighting jarred the baby around too much. The extent of your injuries couldn't have helped any. The baby didn't make it." She said. She didn't say anything else. She just turned around and walked out. Tears were streaming down my face before I could even register I was crying.

"No." I whispered, the word barely audible. It came out broken, and hoarse. I hadn't even noticed Dimitri's hand had slipped from mine. I laid my hands over my stomach. It couldn't be possible. I would have known by now, wouldn't I have? I stood up out of the hospital bed. I stood there for a second, not sure what to do. My baby, my own flesh and blood was dead. I'd killed him. My control slipped, and I drew back, punching a hole into the wall of the door. I heard a sob, and turned to see Dimitri's entire body quaking.

"Dimitri.." I whispered. My voice broke. He wouldn't look up at me. I didn't know what else to do.

"I'm… I'm so sorry." I murmured. It was my fault. It was my fault my baby was dead. If I'd just let Adrian charm the damn ring, this would have never happened. If I wouldn't have been so hard-headed, my baby might still be alive. I might have gotten to meet him. Dimitri got up slowly, as if he were going to leave, but then, he struck out, punching a hole in the wall the same way I had. A shudder rocked through his body. He walked over to me, hitting his knee's in front of me, laying his head against my stomach. I ran my hands through his hair, and cried not knowing what else to do.

"Dimitri, I'm so sorry. I.." I didn't know what else to say. I didn't know what I could say to make it easier on him. He'd lost a child to, the same way I had. There were no words to offer up. There was nothing to make this better. He pulled himself up off his knee's. I met his gaze, and couldn't take it anymore. I turned away from him, horrified with myself. I walked out, running as far away from that room as I could. I ran out onto the back deck, and stared up into the sky. I didn't understand what I'd done to deserve this, what Dimitri had done to deserve this, what my baby could have done to deserve this. It didn't make sense, none of it did. Slowly, my knee's buckled, and I slowly fell to the floor, sobbing. The sobs that rocked through my body caused my ribs to ache. I didn't care. None of that mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was my dead baby. The one that'd never get a chance at life. I laid my hands over my stomach, and sobbed. I wasn't sure how long I sat there alone, before the glass door opened, and Dimitri stepped out onto the back deck. I looked up and met his tortured gaze.

"Roza." He whispered. The word coming out broken.

"Dimitri, I'm so sorry. I didn't know.. I had no idea, and I just-" He was by my side now, shaking his head.

"No.. Don't. It's not your fault. You didn't know." He said, taking my face in his hands.

"I should have known. It was my baby. It was inside me. How could I have not know?" I said, shaking my head.

"It isn't your fault." He whispered. He sat down, pulling my head onto his lap. He ran a hand through my hair.

"My poor baby. I don't.. I don't understand what I did, what we did to deserve this." I said, the words tumbling from my mouth.

"We're going to get through this. We've gotten through everything else. We'll get through this." He promised. Somehow, I didn't think we would. We'd been through a lot, yes.. But I've never felt pain of this magnitude in my life. If I didn't know what it was like to feel my heart breaking, I definitely knew now. This was the worst pain I'd ever known. I'd take all the physical pain I'd endured my whole life over this pain. It was too much. I didn't know what to do with it. I laid my hands over my stomach and shook my head.

"My.. My poor baby." I whispered. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. Somehow, this normally reassuring gesture wasn't making things better right now. He laid his hands over my stomach.

"We'll get through this." He whispered. I shook my head, my entire body quaking with a sob. I felt the silent sob rock through his body too. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do at this point. We just sat there for the longest time, and cried over the lost life of our unborn child.


	27. Right Here!

Dimitri and I sat out on the back deck for a while, never speaking, just crying. The sun started to set, and Dimitri turned to me.

"We should get inside." He said. I shook my head.

"You can go. I'll be fine."

"I'm not going to leave you out here." He said. There was so much pain in his voice every time he spoke. It made my heart ache. I didn't speak. I just looked down. I wasn't going to point out to him, that at this point I wouldn't mind the strigoi taking me. I wouldn't mind not having to focus on this horrible pain I was enduring. He stood up, and tried to pull me up with him, but my legs were dead. I couldn't get them to move. He pulled me up into his arms, and carried me inside. He took me into our room, and gently laid me down on the couch. He sat down on the floor beside me, and took my hand. I looked down, and met his gaze. We stayed like that for a while, just gazing at each other for the longest time. Finally, he spoke.

"Your probably need to eat." He whispered, reaching up and touching my face. I shook my head.

"I'm fine."

"Rose, your recovering from a strigoi attack. You need to eat. You haven't had anything in at least two days." He argued.

"I couldn't eat right now if I wanted to." I whispered. Our front door then busted open, and there stood Adrian. He looked horrible. He looked like someone beat the hell out of him. I almost forgot that someone had. That moment, when I met his gaze… I wanted to blame him. It was his fault. If he wouldn't have went outside, if he wouldn't have been so damn stubborn about charming my ring, and listened to me, none of this would have happened. For a second, a split second… I wanted to hurt Adrian. I felt every muscle in my body stiffen. It took everything I had not to get off that couch, and deck him in the jaw. I knew what was happening though. The stress, with the anger, and the darkness was all mixing together, making it hard to focus on the truth, and the truth was… it wasn't really Adrian's fault. Was it? I wasn't sure. Everything was so confusing right now. I didn't know what to be sure about. The only thing I knew for a solid fact was my baby was dead.

"Rose, are you okay?" He asked, approaching me.

"Adrian, stop." I said. I sat up off the couch, and got up, stumbling around the couch, trying to get away from him.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head, and started pacing. Come on, Rose. It's darkness. You know that. Fight it. Push it away. You've been dealing with it long enough. You know what your doing.

"Dimitri, what's wrong with her?" Adrian asked, looking at Dimitri.

"It's the darkness. Just.. Just give her a minute." He answered Adrian, getting up and walking over to me. He didn't touch me, or try to restrain me, thank God. I might have went off then. I hadn't removed my hands from my stomach as I got up. Adrian was staring at me now.

"What'd the doctor say?" He asked. He looked so sincere, but not even that could pull me from the rage that entered me.

"My baby. The one I was apparently pregnant with.. Is dead. That's what the fucking doctor said." I screamed. There it went. I'd lost it. He didn't say anything. He just stared at me.

"You… you were pregnant?" He whimpered. I nodded.

"I didn't know. I didn't know I was pregnant, and I was stupid. I followed your stupid ass outside, and had to fight our way out for you. It's your fault my baby's dead. If you were so fucking stupid." I cried. I watched as tears started rolling down his face. I shouldn't have said that, but there was wasn't an ounce of me that regretted it, at least not right now.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I just…" He didn't know what else to say. He stopped, and met my gaze. I shook my head hard, trying to shake the darkness. Somehow, this time… it wouldn't leave. I was already to vulnerable. It wasn't working. I couldn't shake it. It just kept lashing out of me.

"Your apologies don't mean shit. This is your fault." I sobbed. Dimitri stepped closer to me, seeing that it was getting worse. He looked up at Adrian and shook his head.

"It's the darkness, Adrian. You know that." He said, trying to mend my words.

"Rose, what can I do? I want to help." Adrian said.

"You want to know how you can help? You can get the fuck out of my house, and out of my life." I growled, stepping forward. I watched as Adrian recoiled, like I'd struck him with a whip. I watched as tears started rolling faster down his cheeks.

"You… you don't mean that." He whimpered. I completely lost all sanity then. I felt the darkness completely swallow me. I started after him, but Dimitri grabbed me, pinning me against the wall.

"Adrian, go." Dimitri told him. I watched as Adrian met my gaze before turning and walking out. Once he was gone, I looked at Dimitri.

"Get off me." I growled.

"Your not in control."

"I am." I said. It came out as more of a growl.

"Your not. Come on, Roza. Snap out of this. This isn't you."

"This is me. It's who I should be. I'm tired of being so fucking nice to people. Their all idiots." I said, fighting against his grip.

"Listen to yourself. That's not you. You know it. Fight it, Roza. I know you can do it." He said. I started getting aggravated then. I tried to push him off me, but his grip was to tight.

"Please." I whispered, looking up at him. He obviously knew my tactic, because it didn't work. It caused my rage to escalade because it didn't work. I started wiggling, trying to get free of his grip. Finally, I knew what I had to do to get free. I head butted him hard, causing him to stumble back, letting me free. I started running, heading for the door, but he was already one step ahead of me. He took me down, tackling me to the floor. He grabbed my face in his hands, and forced me to look at him.

"Roza. Look at me. This isn't you. Snap out of this. This isn't my wife." He said. His voice was desperate, a plea. Somehow, it wouldn't snap me out of it.

"This is me. This is who I should be. I've always been weak. I need to learn what it means to be strong." I growled up at him, trying to free myself. He grabbed my face in his hands, and pressed a kiss to my lips. He kissed me hard. When he pulled away, I looked up at him, and everything, all the darkness, all the rage and hatred towards everyone and everything just faded away. I was me again. I looked up, but saw nothing. Once again, I was crying without registering I was crying.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, looking up at him. He shook his head, and smiled, climbing off me, and pulling me onto his lap.

"Don't. You couldn't help it. You didn't hurt anyone, and your okay now." He said, running a hand through my hair.

"Adrian, the things I said.. God, I have to go find him." I said, trying to get up. Dimitri pulled me back down.

"No. He knows you didn't mean it." Dimitri protested. I shook my head.

"No.. You didn't see his face. He.. He took it to heart, and I can't let him.. After everything that's happened. I need him. I can't.." I said, getting up. Dimitri grabbed my hand.

"Rose, don't. Your hurt, and tired, and you need to rest. You don't need to be worried about him right now. You have… other things to worry about." He tried. I shook my head.

"I have to find him, and apologize." I said. I met Dimitri's gaze. "I'll be back. I promise." I said. I kissed his forehead before heading to the Ivashkov wing. I beat on his door, but no one answered. I opened it, and went inside to find his room empty.

"Damn it." I muttered. I started back towards the throne room, when I pasted the glass door leading out to the deck. I walked towards it to see Adrian standing there, staring off into the mountains. I stood there for a second, staring at him through the glass. All I could hear were the things I'd said to him replaying in my head. I couldn't believe how mean I'd been to him. I slowly slid the door open, trying to be quiet. I took a step forward.

"You'd think you'd stay inside, considering what happened last time you were outside." I said, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. He turned and looked at me. He looked horrible. His eyes were all red, and blood-shot, his face still bloody and bruised. Tears streaked his face. He didn't say anything. He turned back around, facing the mountains."Adrian, you know I didn't mean what I said. It was the darkness." I whispered. He shook his head.

"If only you could have seen the look in your eyes. You meant it, Rose. You meant every word of it. It's okay. You were right. It is my fault." He said. He never turned to face me.

"No. Adrian, it isn't your fault. I didn't mean a word of it. I don't want you out of my life. I love you. I want you in my life, for always. I didn't mean anything I said. I promise you."

"Your lying." He murmured.

"Adrian, look at me." I demanded. He didn't turn around. "Please, I can't stand your back to me like this." I whispered, feeling the tears starting to leak down my face again. He slowly turned around to look at me. "I didn't mean anything I said. I love you. I don't want you out of my life. Everything I said was because of the darkness. I don't blame you, Adrian. I don't."

"You should." He murmured. I shook my head.

"I don't." I repeated. He met my gaze, and a tear leaked from his eye.

"Is that… is that what I was like, when the darkness was eating at me? Is that what I was like towards you?" He asked. I nodded.

"Worse. You got violent."

"You almost did." He corrected. I shrugged.

"Dimitri never lets me get that far." I said, cracking a bit of a smile.

"I can't believe you lost… the baby." He choked. I nodded. He stepped forward towards me, and laid a hand over my stomach. He met my gaze, and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I wish there was something I could do."

"You're here. Your with me, when I need you. That's what matters." I whispered. He shook his head.

"I'm here, forever. I'm not going anywhere." He said. He reached up, and gently pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

"That's all I'll ever need." I murmured. He smiled a bit. "I need to get back to Dimitri. I left in sort of a hurry, and he wasn't doing so well before you showed up." Adrian nodded.

"Okay. Go back to him. I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm going to go shower." He said. "If you need me, you know where I am." I nodded. I turned and walked away, letting his hand slip away from my stomach. I started back into court, and towards our room, to get back to Dimitri.


	28. Like There's No Tomorrow!

When I got back to the room, it was empty.

"Dimitri?" I called. There was no answer. I walked into the bedroom, and could hear the shower running. I opened the door, to walk in, but found him on the bathroom floor, sobbing into his knee's.

"Dimitri." I whispered. I got down on my knee's beside him, and pulled him against me. "Shhh. It's okay." He shook his head, as another sob rocked hard through his body. He quaked against me, causing me to shudder as well. "Hey, look at me?" I said. I pushed his knee's out and straddled his legs. I pulled his hands from his face, and met his gaze. I was surprised I'd been able to keep strong this long. I hadn't cried since I left Adrian. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

"How can you promise me that? Our child is dead." He said, laying his hands on my stomach as Adrian had.

"We still have Bailey, Dimitri. We can't forget about her, because she's over there. She still needs us. We lost one… yes, but this should make us realize how much we have with Bailey. How precious her life is, and how quickly it can be taken away." I whispered.

"I just… I wanted to be a real father to this one. I wanted to be around to watch it grow inside of you, to be there when it was born, to be here through everything. I didn't get that with Bailey. I wanted it. I wanted it bad." He said, sobbing again. I shook my head.

"Listen to me, you are a real father to Bailey. She knows you weren't here for three years of her life, but when have you ever heard her hold that against you. You are her father, and she loves you more than anything in this world, the same way I do. Whether you were here for all that or not is irrelevant. She loves you. I love you. You love her. You are her father. Her only father." I told him. He just stared at me, tears still steadily streaming down his face.

"I know, its just-" I shook my head.

"No. You've got to stop this." I said, wiping the tears off his face.

"How did you pull yourself together so well?" He asked.

"I don't know. I guess the pain was so bad, it just sort of numbed out. It'll be back soon." I said. "Then, you'll be taking care of me, crying on the bathroom floor." I winked at him, causing him to crack me a smile.

"I just can't believe it's gone. We didn't even know." He said, letting his hand slip under my shirt. He ran his hands lightly over my stomach, causing goosebumps to rise.

"I know, but you said whatever was wrong, we could handle it. We're not handling it sitting on the bathroom floor crying." I said. He nodded.

"I know. It's just… it's hard." He whispered, wiping the few tears that had escaped.

"I know that. I know. I can't help feel like it's my fault. How could I have not known I was pregnant? If I would have known, I wouldn't have went outside, I wouldn't have had a problem with you guys charming a ring for me, I wouldn't have been such a bitch to Adrian, and none of this would have every happened. My baby… our baby would still be alive." I said. He shook his head, and took my face in his hands.

"It isn't your fault."

"I wish it was. I'd like to have someone to blame." I whispered. He shook his head.

"No. Maybe… maybe it just wasn't meant to be this time." He tried.

"That doesn't make it any better." I said. He nodded.

"Nothing either of us can say does."

"I know that." I whispered.

"What do you think it was?" He asked.

"Boy." I answered, simply.

"Why?"

"I just have a feeling, it was a boy." I whispered, laying my hand over his, on his stomach. "He would have looked just like you." Dimitri looked down, hiding his face from me again.

"I know." He whispered.

"I think we need to go visit Bailey." I murmured. He nodded.

"Are you going to tell her about this?"

"I have to. I'm not going to lie to her." I whispered. He just looked down.

"So, you get up, and get yourself a shower. I'm going to go-" He cut me off.

"Please, don't leave." He begged. "I.. I don't really think I should be alone right now." I smiled, and nodded.

"You want me to sit here while you take a shower?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. I want you to join me, so I don't have to go a second without your face." He said. I smiled.

"Fine." I said. I stood up, and offered him a hand. He took it, as I helped him up. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and undressed. As I pulled my t-shirt off, I felt his eyes on me, my stomach no doubt.

"You should stop looking at it. It makes me uncomfortable."

"It looks so horrible though." He said.

"Thanks." I muttered. He smiled, slightly.

"Sorry." I nodded.

"It does look pretty disgusting. I can't lie." I said, touching my stomach lightly. He nodded. I stripped the rest of the way down, and followed him into the shower. I loved all over him, knowing that he needed it. He always kept so together for me, but he couldn't do it anymore. I felt like this wasn't just pain over the loss of our child. It was also all the other times in our life, he's wanted to break down, but didn't. He stayed strong for me. This time, it was my turn to be strong for him. I had to take care of him, keep him safe, and let him know that no matter what happened, I was here for him. He'd done that so many times for me, regardless of the circumstances, it was my turn to be here for him. He helped me scrub all the dried blood off me, which was a completely pain in the ass. After I washed my hair, we both got out, and wrapped towels around us. I wiped the fog off the mirror, and gazed into it. I knew that my strong façade was holding, but if only you could see the look in my eyes. There was nothing strong about it. It said 'I'm a complete and total wreck, and there's only going to be so much I can handle before I explode.' It wasn't a good thing. Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist and gazed into the mirror.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded, and turned to him, pressing a kiss to his lips. When I pulled away, I smiled slightly, hoping it looked genuine. He didn't seem to be fooled, but he didn't say anything. I met his gaze.

"I love you." I whispered, sincerity dripping off my words.

"I love you too." We both got dressed, and walked back out into the living room, to find Lissa, Christian, and Viktoria. Lissa and Viktoria had tears streaming down their faces. _Great._ They knew. Viktoria's eyes were on her brother.

"Dimka, I'm so sorry." She said. I looked at him to see one lone tear run down his cheek. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. _Hold it together, Rose. You can do it._ I told myself. Lissa met my gaze, and shook her head, tears steadily pouring from her eyes.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I can't believe-" She started, but I shook my head. That did it. The tears started flooding down my face. She latched onto me, wrapping her arms around me. I buried my face into her collar bone, and sobbed. When I was finally able to breathe again, I pulled away. Christian was looking at me now.

"Rose, I'm so sorry." He said. He stepped forward, and pulled me into a hug. I let him hold me for a second, before pulling away. Lissa had made her way to hug a still hysterical Dimitri.

"It's okay, fireboy. We'll get through it." I whispered. He moved a piece of hair out of my face, and smiled.

"You know Lissa and I are here for you guys, always." He said. I nodded.

"I know that, and thank you." I murmured. He nodded. I turned to go back to Dimitri when Viktoria almost tackled me.

"Roza, I'm so sorry." She cried. I was a Hathaway. I wasn't ever one for sympathy, but it felt nice to know that so many people cared. I mean, I knew they cared, but.. It felt good having them here. She released me, and I moved to take Dimitri's hand.

"Where's Adrian?" I asked.

"Sleeping. I went and healed his injuries as he told me what happened." She sniffed. I nodded. Instinctively, my hands laid over my stomach, as if there were still a baby inside of me.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"He is now." I nodded.

"Good." I said, looking down at the floor. I was remembering just a few hours ago the horrid things I'd said to him. It made me feel like I needed to apologize again, even though I already had.

"You guys, I know a lot is happened, and you want to hang out, but Rose is recovering from a strigoi attack. She needs to sleep." Dimitri said. I knew it wasn't just me he was worried about. He wasn't good around people in bad situations. He wanted to be alone.. Well, he wanted us to be alone.

"I can heal you." Liss offered, looking at me. I shook my head.

"The darkness could be bad for the baby. I don't want you to end up like me." I said, hands still on my stomach. She stared at me for a second, before nodding. Christian met my gaze for a second.

"She's right. We should go. She looks tired. We'll come back tomorrow." He said. Viktoria and Lissa nodded, and started towards the door. I looked at Christian and smiled. I mouthed a thank you, and he nodded once before following Liss and Viktoria out. I turned to Dimitri and wiped the tears away that lingered on his face. He smiled slightly, one of the fakest smiles I'd ever seen. He took my hand and pulled me into the bedroom, and into our bed. He pulled me into his arms, and kissed my forehead.

"I love you." I murmured, meeting his eyes.

"You're saying that an awful lot, why?" He asked, as if I was going to do something stupid.

"I just.. I want you to know how much I really love you. From today's events, I can see how easily someone you love can be taken away from you, and I love you more than anything. I just want you to know that." He nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere, as long as I can help it." He whispered. I nodded.

"I know, but… it scares me to think of me losing you, or Bailey."

"Neither of us are going anywhere." He murmured.

"God, I hope not." I whispered.

"We're not."

"I've realized now though, that I take so much for granted. Lissa, Adrian, even though he's a pain in my ass, you, Bailey, Viktoria, all of them. To think that they can be taken for me like that." I said, snapping my fingers. "I'm going to live my life, our life to the fullest, because it's not just me that could die, it's the people I love too. I could lose them, and I don't know how I'd handle that." By the time I finished, I was shaking. I was starting to get emotional again. Darkness was rearing its head. Dimitri rolled out of the bed, and grabbed the box with the sapphire necklace in it. He pulled me up to sit, and clasped it around my neck.

"You're going to be needing it." He murmured. I nodded.

"I know. Thank you. It's beautiful." I said, touching the stone on my neck. He nodded, and kissed me.

"Just like you." He said. He laid back down, pulling me into his arms, and holding me. I fell asleep with the feel of his lips on my forehead.


	29. Just Gotta Get Through!

I woke up the next morning before the sunset. I gently rolled out of bed, careful to not wake Dimitri. I smiled down at his beautiful sleeping face. His face had been so laced with worry, and sorrow the past two days, that it contorted his face, almost making him unrecognizable. I got dressed, and threw my hair up in a ponytail. I grabbed the pad of paper next to the bed, and wrote him a note, leaving it in the palm of his hand. I grabbed my keys, and quietly snuck out. Well, I was sneaking to keep from waking Dimitri, not sneaking because I'd get in trouble. The last time I snuck anywhere, was back at St. Vladimirs. As I walked out of our room, I thought back to how bad I missed those days. Everything was so easy then. I hated how complicated things got right after school ended. I walked out onto the back deck, watching the sun fade behind the mountains. I stared into the sky, holding my stomach. It was still hard to believe I was pregnant. That if things would have went the way they were supposed to, I would have had another baby. Another nine months of getting fat, and eating everything in sight, and having horrible mood swings. I would have endured it all over again for Dimitri, for my unborn baby. Bailey would have had a baby brother, or sister. I kept trying to picture Bailey's reaction to what I was going to have to tell her, but I couldn't. To be honest, I had no idea how she'd react. I stood there fore awhile, gazing out into the mountains. I heard the glass door slide open. I expected Dimitri, but I turned to find Adrian. He smiled a little as he stepped out onto the deck.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I was up and down last night. I was up so I figured I'd come watch the sunset."

"And Dimitri?" He asked.

"I let him sleep. I didn't want to wake him. He was tired."

"How's he doing?" Adrian asked. I shrugged.

"He's breathing."

"And you?"

"Same." I answered, looking away from him. He walked over to stand next to me.

"You know.. I could always try and heal the-" I shook my head at him.

"I've thought about that. I thought about it all night last night, but the baby's been dead to long. It wouldn't work." I whispered. God, how bad I wished it would work. I felt the tears filling my eyes, but I quickly blinked them back.

"You going to visit Bailey soon?"

"When Dimitri wakes up, I'm going to ask him if he'd mind. I need to see her." I told him, turning to look at him. He nodded.

"It'll be good for you guys." He said. I nodded. He noticed the necklace at my neck. He touched it gently, and smiled.

"I'm glad you decided to not be so hard-headed." He said, playfully. I nodded.

"It was either this, or jail."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because without this, I'd probably end up killing someone." I said. He chuckled, and nodded.

"Been there, experienced that." He said. I nodded.

"I know I already apologized, but I am sorry." He shook his head.

"And I've already told you, its okay. You didn't mean it."

"I just… I wish I had someone to blame. Someone I could take all this out on." I said. He nodded.

"I know. I understand that, but maybe this just wasn't meant to be this time. Maybe you could try again." Adrian suggested.

"I wasn't trying to get pregnant. I mean, we weren't trying to have another baby. We just went with it, and whatever happened, happened. That's why I didn't know. I had no idea. I hadn't shown any real signs of being pregnant." I said. He nodded.

"Did you want another baby?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I think I did." I said, nodding. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me against him.

"You guys will get through this. You two are the strongest people I know. You'll make it." He said. I nodded.

"I hope your right." I whispered. He kissed the top of my head, and nodded.

"You will." He said. He released me, and turned going back inside. I stood there for a few minutes by myself, staring out into the sky that was a beautiful mixture of orange and pink. A lone tear ran down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. The door opened behind me again, and I turned to see Dimitri. He smiled slightly. The sorrow, and pain was back on his face.

"Goodmorning." He whispered.

"Morning." He walked over, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pressed a kiss to my lips.

"How are you this morning?" He asked.

"Breathing." I answered. "And you?"

"Same." He said. I nodded. I reveled in the feel of his arms around my waist. It was like his grip on my waist was the only thing holding me together.

"We should go see Bailey today." I whispered, burying my face into his collar bone. He nodded.

"We can." He told me.

"Just you and me. I don't want the others tagging along this time." I said.

"Okay." He said. "I'll go tell them to arrange a flight, and you can go get ready. I'll be there soon." I nodded.

"Okay. Hurry back to me." I murmured. He kissed me and went inside. I turned back to look off into the mountains one last time, before following him inside and going upstairs. I got dressed, and did my hair and make-up. I attempted to hide the dark circles under my eyes with make-up, but it didn't work. They were still visible. Dimitri returned, and got dressed.

"We've got twenty minutes before the plane will be ready." He said. I nodded, and grabbed some money, my stake, and my cell phone. Dimitri grabbed his stuff off the dresser, and we started towards the runway. We boarded the plane, and sat down. Dimitri called and booked the van to take us to and from St. Vladimirs. I laid my head over onto Dimitri's shoulder, and sighed.

"I can't wait to see her. I've missed her so much." I told him.

"Me too." He said. The rest of the plane ride was pretty silent. When we landed, I started shaking. I was so ready to get off the plane and to St. Vladimirs to see Bailey. The van ride was silent as well. When we pulled up to the gates, the Guardian's looked back at us, and smiled.

"Guardian Belikov, Hathaway." They said, nodding once. I smiled, and so did Dimitri. They opened the gates, and Dimitri and I headed to Bailey's dorm. I knocked on the door, and waited. The moment it opened, and I met her gaze, I tackled her into the room, hugging her so tight neither of us could breathe. We were both crying now.

"Mommy, I've missed you so much. I felt you get hurt, and I was so scared. I was afraid you were dead." She sobbed. I wiped her tears and smiled.

"Mommy's fine." I lied. Physically, I was fine. Mentally, emotionally? I wasn't. She turned to Dimitri then, and jumped into his arms. He held her close, tears streaming down his face to. He held her close, kissing her face, all over. She giggled, as the tear flowed from her eyes. We shut her door, and sat down on her bed.

"How's school been?" I asked.

"Good. I love it here." She said.

"That's good. I'm glad."

"How's stuff at home?" She asked.

"It's hectic, but everyone's okay." I said, looking up to meet Dimitri's gaze.

"Something's wrong." She said. I attempted to raise an eyebrow.

"This bond thing is killing me." I said. She smiled slightly, but then became serious again. I swear, she acted like she was fifteen instead of seven.

"You right, something is wrong, and we came here to tell you." I told her. I took her hand, and sighed.

"After mommy got rescued from the strigoi, and they did a bunch of tests on me to find out if I was okay, the found out that I was pregnant too, but-" I stopped, taking in Bailey's expression.

"But what?" She asked.

"But I got kicked pretty hard in the stomach a few times." I said, lifting my shirt, showing her the bruise. "And it hurt the baby, and the baby didn't make it."

"Your babies dead?" She asked. "My baby brother or sister?" I nodded. Tears started flowing down her face again.

"I'm so sorry momma." She whispered. She turned and looked at Dimitri who's eyes were on the ground now.

"Daddy." She whispered. He looked up. "I'm sorry." She walked over, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him.

"It's okay baby. We're going to get through it. All of us will." He said. She turned back to me. I wiped the tears off her face.

"You want to go somewhere? Get out of here for a little bit?" I asked. She nodded.

"Can I leave?" She asked.

"With us, yes." I told her. She nodded. She slipped her shoes on, and stood.

"Lets go." She said, taking mine and Dimitri's hands. We walked her to the front office to find Kirova and Alberta.

"Ahh, St. Vladimir royalty. So nice to see you again, Rose." Kirova said. I smiled.

"Nice to see you too." I felt Alberta's eyes on me. Alberta had been there for me when Dimitri left. I finally broke down and told her about us, so she knew when something was wrong. She could see it on my face now.

"We're going to take Bailey out for a little bit. We'll have her back by curfew." I told them. She nodded.

"That's fine. You guys have fun." She said. Alberta met my gaze, and I smiled.

"How are you Alberta?" I asked. She smiled.

"I'm good. How are you, Rose?"

"I'm… I'm good." I lied smoothly. I saw that look. That look she gave me when I was lying to her when I was a student here. She hadn't changed a bit.

"Can I talk to you alone for a moment?" She asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." I told her. Eddie walked in, and started talking to Bailey and Dimitri, as I followed Alberta into her office. God, I remembered being here a lot.

"Are you alright?" She asked. I looked at her, and shook my head.

"I'm not, actually."

"What's going on?" She looked extremely concerned.

"Adrian and I were captured by strigoi a few days ago. I got into a few fights, took some pretty ugly punches to the stomach, and… after they did tests to find out what was broken… they found out I was pregnant." I said. I looked down and back up at her. "The baby didn't make it."

"Oh God, Rose… I'm so sorry." She said, stepped closer to me. I shook my head.

"It's okay. We're dealing. It's hard, but we'll get through it. We always do." I said. She pulled me into a hug.

"You know if you need me, I'm here." She said. I smiled.

"Thank you." I said, walking out. Eddie walked over to me and hugged me.

"I'm glad your okay, Rose." _If only he knew. _

"Yeah, it was a close one, but we made it." I said. Dimitri obviously hadn't told him what really happened. We all said our good-byes and went to the van parked in the parking lot. Since we had a St. Vladimirs student, we were permitted to use one of their vans.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I say we go to the mall. You know, you still have that gift card from your birthday that Adrian gave you." I told her. She grinned, and nodded.

"To the mall." I said, looking at Dimitri. He nodded, and smiled slightly. We drove in silence, but when we got there, Bailey was the most talkative thing. Dimitri and I both held one of her hands, as we walked in the mall, and around to different stores. It felt good to just be with her. I missed her so much at home. She told me all the things going on at the school as Dimitri and I told her all about what was going on at home. We went and sat down at the food court, and got lunch. We sat there chatting, when Bailey looked at me.

"Do you think, you might get pregnant again, mommy?" She asked.

"I don't know baby." I said, eyes on Dimitri. I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I knew how bad he wanted another child, but I wasn't sure if I could do that again. I wasn't sure I could after losing this one. It would hurt.

"I'd like a little brother or sister." She said. I smiled.

"You'd be an amazing big sister." Dimitri told her. I nodded in agreement. She giggled. We finished lunch, and started into some more stores. We went into a keepsake store. We looked around through all kinds of stuff. I saw Dimitri and Bailey sneaking around, but I didn't really pay much attention. When we left the store, both of them had this doofy grin on their face. I ignored it. We walked through a few more stores, before heading out to the van. It was getting late, and we had to get back to court soon. When we got back to the academy, we walked into the office to let them know we were back, and headed to Bailey's room. She ran in, and jumped into her bed.

"I had so much fun today." She said. Dimitri grinned.

"I did too." He told her. I smiled, and nodded. It was true. Even with all the sorrow and pain rolling through me, I actually had an overall good day. I helped Bailey into her PJ's, and we both tucked her in.

"I have something before you go momma." She said. I smiled.

"Should have known." I muttered, looking at Dimitri out the corner of my eye. He shrugged. She pulled out a box, and handed it to me. I opened it, and inside was a gorgeous keepsake bracelet. It was one that was made specifically to be given to a mother from her daughter. It was silver and had little charm symbolizing a mother and daughters relationship. I felt a lone tear run down my face.

"You like it?" She asked. "Those are good tears, right?" I chuckled.

"Yes, there good tears. I love it. Thank you so much." I whispered. I pulled her into my arms, and held her.

"I love you mommy." She murmured. I slid the bracelet onto my wrist, and smiled.

"I love you to baby girl. Don't you ever forget that." I whispered. We said our final good-byes and went to the van, waiting to take us back to the airport. We boarded the plane, and headed back towards court. I curled up in the seat next to Dimitri, laying my head on his chest. I closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep. The next time I woke up, it was to Dimitri laying me down in our bed.

"Where are we?" I asked, voice thick with sleep.

"We're home, love. Just go to sleep." He said. He crawled into bed next to me, and pulled me against his chest.

"I love you Roza." He whispered.

"I love you too Comrade." I said. I felt him chuckle, before I closed my eyes and fully fell into unconsciousness.


	30. Hangover and Hell To Pay!

The next morning, I woke up to Dimitri pulling me close against his chest. He was still asleep, but I smiled at him. I stared at his beautiful sleeping face for a few minutes. I closed my eyes, but opened them when he spoke.

"Roza." He murmured. He hadn't woken. He was dreaming about me… _again._ I almost laughed, but was careful not to wake him. Being the person I am, I leaned over, and pressed my lips to his. His lips turned up into a smile, but he didn't wake. He went on, muttering my name, and other things before I let out a small giggle, causing him to wake. He met my gaze, and smiled.

"Goodmorning." He murmured.

"Dreaming about me again?" I asked, attempting to raise an eyebrow. His cheeks turned a little pink.

"How'd you know?"

"It's kinda hard not to notice when your all but moaning my name." I said, chuckling. He blushed even deeper.

"Sorry." He said. I grinned.

"What were you dreaming about me?" I asked. He rolled over on top of me, and smiled.

"I could show you better than I could tell you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me hard, but sweetly at the same time. When he pulled away, he pressed a little bit to much of his weight down on my lower abdomen, causing me to wince. He quickly rolled off me.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay?" He asked, laying his hands over my stomach. I rolled my eyes slightly. We were doing so good. I knew that would be the end of his good mood.

"I'm fine. You didn't hurt me." I promised.

"I didn't mean too, I completely forgot-" I placed a hand over his mouth.

"I. Am. Fine." I said. He nodded once. I removed my hand, and brought my mouth back to his and kissed him, but he wasn't as into it as he was before. I gave up, pulling away and rolling out of bed. I grabbed a change of clothes, and showered, not bothering to ask if he wanted to join me. I figured he wouldn't anyway. When I got out, and walked out into the living room, he was at the counter with a bowl of cereal. I smiled slightly at him, not really knowing what to say. I could feel the tension. I didn't know what to do about it though. When he finished his cereal, he got up.

"I'm going to go to the gym for a little bit." He said.

"Want me to join you?" I asked, knowing his answer.

"I think I want to be alone for a little bit." He said. I nodded. He kissed my forehead, and grabbed his keys.

"Call me if you need me." He said. I nodded.

"Will do." I said, as he walked out. I stood there in the middle of the room, staring at the door like a lost puppy. I didn't understand how we could go from waking up all smiles, and lovey dovey to this. He was shutting me out. I felt it. I went to the kitchen, and washed the dishes he'd used, and cleaned stuff up. I sat down at the counter and laid my head in my hands. For some reason, I felt the need to cry, and I actually wanted to, but no tears would come. I sat there for a long time, and before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep. I was picking my head up off the counter, and looking around. I looked at the clock to see it was five a.m. I got up, and walked through the house to see Dimitri still wasn't back. I sat there for a second, thinking about going to the gym to see if he was alright, but I thought better of it. He wanted to be alone, I'd give him his alone time. Regardless of that, just to make sure he was okay, I pulled out my phone, and called him. He didn't answer. I called a second time, but there was still nothing. I was worried, no doubt, but I just sat down back in my bar stool, and waited. He'd come home eventually. I hoped. I picked up his western off the counter, and started flipping through different pages. I heard the door unlock, and I looked up to see Dimitri stumble in, and when I say stumble, I mean almost fall through the door. I was out of my stool immediately, but when I got a good look at him, I saw why. He was drunk. I'd never seen Dimitri drunk, but I could tell by his eyes that he was intoxicated.

"You were gone awhile." I said. He grinned lazily at me, and nodded.

"Yeah, I went down to the bar, and had a few drinks." He said.

"I can see that."

"Really? You can tell I'm drunk?" He asked. I nodded.

"You know, I never took you as a 'run-to-the-alcohol-when-times-get-tough' kinda guy. I always thought that was Adrian." I admitted.

"Some things call for drinking more than others."

"You don't see me down at the bar, getting hammered every night, do you?" I asked.

"You would if I'd let you." He said. I felt my jaw hit the floor.

"If you'd let me? You say that like you say what I can and can't do." I snapped. My charmed necklace wasn't helping at this point in time.

"I'm not saying that." He said.

"Then what are you saying?" I asked, sarcastically. He sat there for a second, and shrugged.

"I don't know." He finally answered.

"That's what I thought." I muttered.

"Hey, don't give me the third degree. It's not like I do this all the time. I just… needed something to numb the pain." He said smartly. I didn't know where all this was coming from, but stuff just came flooding out of me.

"That's what I'm here for. We're supposed to help each other, not get drunk." I said. "When I told you we'd get through it. I didn't mean this way." I motioned to him.

"I'm trying, damn it. You don't know how hard it is." He said.

"I don't know how hard it is? I'm the one that lost the baby, Dimitri. It was inside of me." I said. This anger filled his face then. I wasn't prepared for what came next.

"That's right, it was inside you, so it was your job to protect it, and you didn't. You let it die. It's your fault our babies dead." He said. A tear ran down my cheek.

"I didn't know. We weren't trying to have another baby. How was I supposed to know I was pregnant when I showed no signs?" I asked, tears flowing faster and faster down my face.

"It doesn't matter. It was your baby. You should have known."

"I don't know how you expect me to know I'm pregnant when I show no signs of it." I growled. He was drunk, and knew he was talking just to be talking, but his words still hurt, none the less. He stood there, staring at me, as if he didn't know what to say.

"I don't know why I came back. I had a feeling this would happen." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"Why I came back here? I should have stayed in Russia." He said. Tears started spilling faster down my face.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"If I wouldn't have came back, I wouldn't have to deal with all of this stuff. Things would have been so much simpler." He said. Anger filled me then.

"We got married since you came back, we've spent numerous nights together, we've done so much. Are you trying to say you regret all that?" I screamed.

"I'd take losing all that over losing my child." He said. The words cut me like a dagger. I stared at him, not believing what he was saying.

"Fuck you, Dimitri." I snapped. As tears spilled from my eyes, I ran out the door. The moment I was out of that room, I knew exactly where I'd go. _Adrian. _He wanted to play games, hurt me. I could do the same thing. It was petty, and I knew that, but I didn't care. Two could play this game. When I got to his door, I took a deep breath, and knocked. When he opened it, he looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Can I stay here tonight?" I asked. He just stared at me. I could tell by the look in his eyes, he'd been waiting years to hear that from me. He looked at me like he didn't believe me.

"Of course, but… what's going on?" He asked, opening the door wider to let me inside.

"Dimitri… he went to the bar, and got drunk. He came home and blamed everything on me. He was yelling at me, and telling me how he wishes he never came back from Russia, and I just… I can't take that now. I would go to Lissa, but I don't want to stress her out. Your all I have right now." I explained. Adrian pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry little dhampir." He said. "Of course you can stay here. Your always welcome here, you know that." I nodded, and sat down on his couch.

"I need a drink." I muttered.

"Would you like one?" He asked.

"Please?" He walked over to his bar, and poured me a glass of something. I wasn't sure what it was, nor did I care. I took the glass from him and chugged it. He raised one of his perfect eyebrows at me, and poured me another. I smiled. I sipped on this one.

"I can't believe Dimitri went and got drunk. I never took him to be so much like-" I cut Adrian off.

"Like you?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled. "No offense." He shrugged.

"None taken. I know." He said. We sat there, talking and drinking, having a good time. I felt good. Actually, I felt better than good. I hadn't felt this good in a long time. I liked it. Maybe an alcoholic was what I needed to become to be happy again. I got up to fix me another drink, walking over to the bar by Adrian, and met his gaze. In that moment, Adrian started looking better and better. Adrian had always been gorgeous, but God… He looked even better when I was drunk. I ran a hand through his hair, and grinned.

"I've never told you how gorgeous you are, have I?" I asked. He smiled.

"Your drunk." He said. I shook my head.

"I'm fine." I said. He raised an eyebrow, and I chuckled. "Okay, maybe a little." He chuckled.

"I think I might need to cut you off." He said. I growled.

"You wouldn't dare." I said, chuckling. I stumbled forward, pretty much falling into him. That only brought us closer, and when I looked up to meet his gaze, I realized something. I wanted to kiss him. Dimitri rolled through my mind, but in this moment, I could care less about him. I leaned forward, and I watched as so many emotions played over his face.

"Rose, your drunk, I don't-" I placed a finger to his lips, and shook my head.

"Don't." I whispered. I brushed my lips against his, and kissed him gently. It felt so wrong, but oh so right. When he pulled away, he met my eyes.

"Fuck it, never mind." He said, grabbing me and pulling my face back to his. He pushed me up against the wall, kissing me deeper. His tongue traced my bottom lip, begging for entrance that I granted immediately. He traced kisses down my neck, and I felt his teeth against my skin. I remembered back to when Liss and I had ran away from the academy, and she had to feel from me. The thrill of her bite, the thrill of the endorphins. Then, I thought about the scarring. Dimitri would known. _Dimitri_. That broke through all the walls. I quickly pulled away from him, hand flying to my lips.

"Oh God, no." I whispered.

"Rose, I'm so sorry.. I didn't-" He stopped, not knowing what else to say. I was so confused, and drunk, and completely lost.

"I think we just need to get some sleep." I said, kicking my shoes off, and walking to the couch.

"If you want to sleep in my bed, I'll sleep out here." He said. I shook my head.

"I'll sleep out here, thanks." I said, laying down on his couch. He sat there, looking at me for a second. I could see fear and sorrow in his face. He knew what he did was wrong, but he didn't bother to stop. I knew how bad he wanted me, how bad he'd always wanted me. I closed my eyes, and slowly fell asleep, knowing there's be a hang over and hell to pay in the morning.


	31. Mess

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache. I looked around to see I was in Adrian's living room. Then, the night before came thundering back down on me. The fight with me and Dimitri, coming to Adrian, getting hammered, and… the kiss. I shuddered. I was in deep shit, as was Adrian. I got up, and slipped my shoes back on and stood up. I stumbled a little, but steadied myself. I found a piece of paper and a pen, and quickly wrote Adrian a note. I had to get out of here before he woke up. My hand was shaky from the pain in my head, so I scribbled out:

_Adrian,_

_Thank you for letting me stay last night. I appreciate it. I'm going to go home, and hopefully sort everything out. I'm not really sure what to make of last night, but we wont speak of it until… the right time. See ya round,_

_-Rose. _

I quickly laid it on the table, and slipped out his door. As I trudged back to our room, I opened the door and stepped inside. Dimitri was at the counter, cup of coffee in hand. He was out of the bar stool the moment he met my gaze.

"Where have you been?" He almost demanded. The tone of his voice made me want to yell, but the throbbing in my head protested.

"Where I go isn't any of your concern. I'm grown." I said softly.

"I've been up since four, wondering where the hell you were."

"Oh, did I have you worried? I'm so sorry." I said, laying on the sarcasm thick. His face grew angrier.

"What's the matter with you?" He demanded.

"What's the matter with me? Hmm, lets see. The fact that you left to go to the gym, came back six hours later, and yelled at me, telling me everything that happened to our baby was MY fault, and that you regret coming back, and that you wished you'd stayed in Russia, and all these other things. That might be what the fucks the matter with me, Dimitri." I snapped. I watched as his face completely fell.

"I… I said all that?"

"You didn't say it, you yelled it." I said.

"Roza, I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I was drunk, and-" I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter anymore. Just forget it." I said, going into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of aspirin, and a glass of water, and popped three of them.

"You look-." I cut him off.

"Hung-over, yeah.. I know." I said.

"Where we're you last night?" I hesitated, not knowing if I should tell him, and knowing for a fact he didn't deserve to known.

"Adrian's." I finally said. He didn't say anything else.

"You slept there?"

"I slept on his couch." I told him. "I wasn't going to Lissa, because I knew it'd stress her out, and neither her nor the baby need that." I got up, and went into the bedroom, him trailing behind me. I grabbed a change of clothes, and stripped, changing into something clean, that didn't smell like alcohol and clove cigarettes. When I threw my dirty clothes in the hamper, I turned back to Dimitri.

"You look like hell, Roza." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"I got yelled at for no reason, cried my eyes out, got drunk, and slept on someone's couch. How do you expect me to look Dimitri?" I asked. I was being a bitch. I knew it. After what I did, I should be treating him like a saint, but I just really couldn't get over the things he'd said to me. I walked out, and back to the counter, and sat in one of the bar stools. Dimitri followed me out, of course.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. My head is pounding." I said, squeezing my temples.

"What else did I…say last night?"

"Nothing. I told you the gist of it." I told him. He stepped towards the counter, standing across from me.

"I really am sorry, Roza." He said. I nodded.

"Okay."

"I take that as a 'you-haven't-been-forgiven' answer." He said, frowning a little.

"I don't know what to think right now, alright. There's so much going through my head. Please, can you just give me a little bit?" I snapped at him. He stepped back. He then looked at my face for a second, and raised an eyebrow.

"There's something else. It's not just me." He said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"It's not just me your upset over. Something happened, didn't it?"

"Dimitri, not right now." I begged. "Please." I squeezed my head in my hands.

"What the hell happened at Adrian's, Rose?" He demanded. Tears started streaming down my face before I looked up at him.

"I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know what was going on." I said. I saw anger, no rage fill his features.

"Rose, what happened?" He asked. There was that tone. That tone he used back at St. Vladimirs when I was in trouble. That tone that let me know all hell was about to break loose.

"I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I was drunk, and hurt. I was just-" He shook his head.

"Stop stalling." He growled.

"We kissed, alright?" I said. "We kissed, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, and I know that, and I'm sorry."

"I'll kill that little moroi bastard." He said, starting for the door. I jumped up and ran in front of him, placing a two hands over his chest to hold him back.

"Don't… Dimitri, please."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill the little fucker?" He said.

"Because I kissed him, alright."

"He knew you were drunk. He used it to his advantage, no doubt. Don't think he didn't-" I shook my head.

"Stop.. Stop trying to take the blame off me. I kissed him. It was all me. You can't blame him." I said. I watched as the rage faded from his face, and hurt took its place.

"Rose, why would you-" I shook my head.

"I don't know. I don't understand why I did it. I was drunk, and hurt, and didn't know what else to do. I knew it was wrong, but I needed to feel wanted. You told me you regretted ever coming back. I felt like I was nothing to you, and I just needed to feel like something to somebody." I whispered. He shook his head.

"Rose, you knew I was drunk. You knew I didn't mean any of the things I said."

"No. You didn't see your face. There was so much anger. If you would have been looking at you from my point of view, you would have believed it in a heartbeat." I said.

"Rose, I didn't mean it."

"Then you have to believe me when I tell you I didn't kiss Adrian because I felt something for him. I… I don't know why I did it, but I did." I said. He met my gaze for a second, and looked down.

"Rose, did you sleep with him?" He asked, face serious.

"No. I didn't. I slept on his couch. I didn't sleep anywhere near him, nor did we have sex. We kissed… that's it." I said. He didn't look like he wanted to believe me. I didn't really blame him. I remembered back to when I'd kissed him, when his body had mine pinned to the wall, his beautiful lips moving in sync with-. God, Rose.. The alcohol must still be in your system or something. I told myself, rubbing my head.

"I'm sorry, okay? There's nothing else I can say to make this better, no other words to offer up." I said. "But I'm not going to let you hurt him when he isn't at fault. He didn't kiss me."

"Did you… did you want to kiss him?" He asked.

"I did then, but I was drunk. I would have kissed anyone just to feel some kind of attention, because I definitely wasn't getting it here." I said, anger rekindling.

"I don't know what to say anymore. When you said we'd get through this, I didn't think you meant this way." He said. The anger I felt before came back strong, and I pushed him.

"Oh no, don't you dare turn this around on me. This is your fault." I snapped.

"My fault? I don't understand how it's my fault that you run off, get drunk, and then kiss other guys." He said. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

"You make it seem like this is a normal thing. I only got drunk and kissed another guy because you were treating me like shit here."

"I. Was. Drunk. What part of that don't you get?" He asked.

"I was too. That's how I don't understand why your getting all mad at me. You started it." I said. He snorted.

"What are we, five?" He asked. I nodded.

"That's perfect Dimitri. You know, I really don't need your shit right now." I snapped.

"I don't even know what to say to you right now." He said.

"You sure knew what to say last night." I snapped, glaring at him.

"Yeah, I bet you did to with Adrian's tongue down your throat." He said. My jaw hit the floor. I didn't even know how to reply. I grabbed my keys off the counter, and shook my head.

"You know what, I'm out of here." I said. I started to open the door but he grabbed my wrist, and pulled me back.

"I'm not through talking to you." He growled.

"Your best bet is to let me go. Unless you want me to break your jaw again." I snapped, turning to him. He stared at me for a second.

"Roza-" He started. I shook my head, and yanked my wrist from his hand.

"No. Today, you lost all right to call me that." I said. A lone tear ran down my face, as I turned and walked out, slamming the door behind me. I didn't know where this left us, or what that mean for us, but I was confused, and hurt, and didn't know what to do. I walked to the back deck, stepping out into the night. I started off into the mountains, tears steadily streaking my face. I didn't know what to do, or where that left me. I just stood there, staring off into the mountains. I heard the door open, thinking it was Dimitri, I shook my head.

"I don't really want to see you right now." I said.

"I'll leave." said a voice that didn't belong to Dimitri. I turned to see Adrian.

"Oh, Adrian. I'm sorry. I thought it was Dimitri." I said. Adrian looked at me, sorrow filling his face.

"Did you.. tell him?" He asked. I nodded.

"I did."

"Was it bad?" He asked me. I sighed.

"It was a lot worse than it should have been, but Adrian that's not your fault."

"It is my fault. I knew you were drunk, but I let you kiss me anyway. Any man wouldn't have taken advantage of you like that, and I'm sorry." He said. I shook my head.

"No. I kissed you, and I knew how you felt about me. I knew you wouldn't stop. I used that, knowing I'd get what I wanted." I told him, looking down.

"How bad was it?" He asked.

"Really bad."

"He wants to kill me, doesn't he?" Adrian asked. I chuckled.

"He does, but I wouldn't let him. He tried to go after you, but I told him no."

"I wouldn't run, or fight him. I'd deserve it." He said. I shook my head.

"Adrian, stop. I'm tired of you and everyone else trying to protect me. I messed up, and I know that. Stop trying to shoulder the blame. I kissed you. You need to realize that." I said.

"I kissed back." He said.

"I would have been concerned if you wouldn't have." I told him, smiling a little. He chuckled.

"Is that a gay joke?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Maybe." I said. He looked at me, and smiled.

"Would you like to come back to my room? You look like you could use a cup of coffee." He said. I sighed.

"I could use one, but I'm scared Dimitri will look for me there." I said.

"Do you think he'll really try and hurt me?" Adrian asked.

"I don't really know right now. All I do know is that he's really pissed." I told him. Adrian nodded.

"I'll be sure to watch out for the Russian mauler." He said. I chuckled.

"Stop making me laugh. I don't need to be laughing right now." I told him. He shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop." He said. I sighed.

"I've gotten myself into a mess." I said, placing my hands over my stomach. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and hugged me.

"You'll find you way through it. You always do." He told me. I sighed.

"I don't know if I'll get through this one though." I said. He kissed my forehead. I sighed. "I'm sorry about last night, Adrian. I know that must have been.. hard on you."

"Actually, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Of course, I was just as drunk as you. That might have something to do with it." He said. I nodded.

"It might."

"Is it bad to say, that was probably one of the best kisses between you and I?"

"It's bad." I said, nodding. He chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Little Dhampir. I told you that my feelings for you would never change. They haven't, and they wont." He said. I nodded.

"I know." I said. "I've got to go. I'm hungry, and I need some coffee. I'm going to go to the cafe. I'll see you around."

"I could join you.." He said.

"If Dimitri comes looking-"

"Never mind." He said. I smiled.

"I'll see you later." I said. I turned, and walked away, starting back into court.

"Hey Adrian?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You may want to go hide out in your room until I get back." I said. He chuckled.

"Going." He said. I laughed and turned, leaving him coming in behind me.


	32. Anywhere But Here!

I went down to the café, not sure what was going to happen. I sat down and ordered a cup of coffee, paying for it with the little money I had in my pocket. I sat down at a table, and began sipping on it. I laid my head in my hands, and took a deep breath.

"Tough day?" A familiar voice said. I looked up to see Viktoria sitting across from me.

"Hey Viktoria."

"What's going on? You look like hell." She said. I nodded.

"I'm aware, trust me."

"I went by your room, but Dimitri told me you weren't there." She said.

"Long story. I don't wanna talk about it." I told her. She nodded.

"Dimitri told me the gist of what happened."

"Of course he did. Did he tell you how it's all my fault, and how I'm the bad guy?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Well, he put some of the blame over on you, yes. He's really upset about the things he said to you. He was freaking out. He wanted to go after you, but he was afraid you'd break his jaw… again." She told me. I nodded.

"So, he sent you to talk to me?" I asked. She smiled shyly.

"He asked me to, yes."

"That's what I thought. How'd you find out I was here?" I asked.

"Adrian." I nodded.

"He looked terrified when I showed up at his room." She told me. I chuckled, and shook my head.

"He's scared Dimitri's going to come after him. He's pretty freaked out." I shrugged.

"I don't blame him." I told her. I sighed and placed my head in my hands.

"Why don't you go try and talk to him, Rose?" She asked.

"I already tried that. It made it worse. I don't think us being around each other is a good idea right now."

"Where are you gonna stay?" She asked.

"I don't mean I'm not going home. I mean.. I think we just need a little space to breathe right now."

"He's freaking out." She started to protest.

"That's not my problem." I said, raising my voice a little. She frowned. "Look, Viktoria… I know he's your brother, and your trying to help.. But stay out of it. We can handle this… just let us do it." I said. I stood up, and smiled. "I'll see you around, okay?" She nodded. I took a deep breath, and walked out, heading back into court. I stood in the middle between the hallways to Adrian's room, and to my own. I started to walk towards Adrian's room, when Lissa called to me. I turned around, and automatically she frowned.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. It's not a big deal. What's up?"

"Rose, you look like hell, and I can tell through the bond something's wrong. What is it?" She asked, well… more or less demanded.

"Dimitri and I are fighting. It's a long story, and I really don't want to talk about it Lissa." I said.

"Rose, I-" I shook my head, cutting her off.

"Please… not now. I'm not in the mood to talk about it." I begged her. She nodded.

"Alright. You look like you need a shower." She said. I chuckled.

"Do I look like a hobo or something?"

"No. You just look like you could use one. You wanna come back to my room?" She asked.

"Is Christian there?" She shook her head.

"He's with his aunt." I grimaced.

"Sure, I'll go." I told her, following her back to her room. When we got inside, I felt this twinge of guilt. I was avoiding my problems, staying away from my room, and him. I shouldn't have been doing this, but we both needed time to breathe. Apparently, us being together wasn't in either of our best interests right now.

"You going to go back anytime soon?" She asked, as I started towards her bathroom.

"I don't know yet. When I get around him, I just get mad all over again. I don't know if going back anytime soon is a good idea." I said.

"I'd really like to know what happened. I want to help, but… I can't help if you don't tell me." She said. I sighed. She followed me into the bathroom, and sat on the counter as I got into the shower, and pulled the curtain closed. I then went into my story of telling her exactly what happened, starting from waking up yesterday morning. She was quiet until I was done. I wrapped a towel around me, and got out. She looked pissed, and sympathetic all at the same time.

"I'm sorry Rose." She said. I nodded.

"I just don't know what to do. It seems like nothing I say makes it better, and everything he says just pisses me off that much more."

"I would have broke his jaw if I was you. The things he said was uncalled for." She told me, hand over her stomach. I smiled.

"He was drunk." I said, trying to back him up a little.

"There's a little truth behind drunken words." She said. I met her gaze.

"Do you… do you really think he meant what he said?" I felt tears stink to my eyes, but I blinked them back quickly.

"I think, just like you… He wants to be able to blame someone, to take his rage and anger out on someone, and that night… you were all he had, so he blamed you. If Adrian would have been around, he would have blamed him, no doubt." She said. I sighed.

"I don't know where this leaves us. Things are just so complicated." I told her.

"You'll figure it out. You always do." She told me. I sighed. "I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the living room." I nodded. She walked out, and I quickly ran a brush through my wet, and tangled hair, and got dressed. I walked out to find Christian and Lissa on the couch. I knew I was intruding now, and it was time for me to go home.

"Hey Rose." Christian said. I smiled.

"Hey Fire boy."

"How are you?" He asked.

"Peachy." I said. "Lissa, I'm going to head home. I'll see you later." She nodded.

"If you need somewhere to go. Remember, you're always welcome here." She said. I smiled slightly.

"Thanks." I said, turning and walked out. I walked down the hallway and to my door. I stood there for a second, and took a deep breath. I opened the door to find it completely empty. I went into the bedroom and looked in Bailey's room too, but he wasn't there. I stood there for a second, trying to think of where he could be. I thought about checking the bar, but knew he wouldn't go back there, not with things the way they are now because of it. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. _Adrian. _I shook my head, and took off across court. I hadn't even reached Adrian's room when I heard Dimitri's voice booming. Adrian's door was open, and Dimitri was in his room, stalking towards him. I ran between the two of them, hands extended out between them.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" I demanded.

"Your reasons on why I shouldn't kill him weren't good enough." He growled.

"I told you not to do this, damn it. He's a moroi. You can't hurt him, you know that. You're a guardian." I snapped.

"I was never one to follow the rules. You of all people know that." He said. There was this hate in his eyes, that I couldn't seem to break through. It made him almost scary. He moved closer, trying to get closer to Adrian.

"Dimitri, stop." I demanded.

"Why? He-" I shook my head, and shoved him back as hard as I could.

"I've already told you damn it. He didn't do anything. You are so fucking hard-headed."

"I'm hard-headed. If it wasn't for you being so damn hard-headed, we wouldn't be in this mess." He said.

"There you go, blaming it on me again." I growled. I couldn't believe we were actually doing this here, in front of Adrian. Adrian could tell Dimitri was pissed.

"Rose, watch it." Adrian whispered too me.

"You fucking stay out of it." Dimitri yelled back at Adrian.

"Dimitri, stop. I've had it up to here with this shit." I said, motioning over my head. "This has got to stop."

"I don't even know what to think anymore." He said, shaking his head.

"I think we need to take a break." I said, tripping over the words as they spilled from my mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"We need some… time away from each other. If we keep doing this… we're going to end up hurting one another even worse." I said, trying to blink back the tears.

"You mean… You want me to leave."

"No. I don't mean that… I don't know what I mean, but I know we can't be together like this. We need time for this to blow over. I can't… I can't do this anymore." I said, voice breaking on the last word.

"Roza, what do you-" I shook my head.

"I'll be staying with Lissa for awhile. It's just for a bit, until you decide what it is you want to do, because… I can't keep doing this with you. I wont." I said. He stared at me for a second, all rage and anger gone, and hurt and pain taking it's place. He turned and walked out, leaving me standing there, staring after him.

"Rose-" Adrian said, behind me. I shook my head.

"Don't ask." I said.

"What?"

"Don't ask if I'm okay." I whispered. I turned around to meet his gaze, and the moment his emerald eyes met mine, the tears came pouring out of me. He pulled me into his arms, and held me against him. He patted my back, and shook his head.

"It's going to be okay. Things will get better. I promise." He said. I shook my head.

"They wont. Do you see what I've done? I've ruined everything. It's my fault. All of it is. All I do is mess things up. I'm a horrible wife, a horrible guardian, a horrible friend. I don't understand why people even bother with me. I don't get it." I whispered, my voice breaking at the end.

"That's a lie. You're an amazing wife. Dimitri wouldn't have married you otherwise. You're a great guardian. You've saved Lissa's life, my life, and your daughters life numerous times, and you're an amazing friend, because your husband just showed up at my room to kill me, and you stopped him. That's saying something." He said, meeting my gaze.

"I'm useless." I muttered. He grabbed my face in his hands.

"Rosemarie Hathaway Belikov. If I ever hear you say something like that I will break your jaw, do you understand me? You are not useless. Your anything but useless. You got me?" He demanded. I looked away from him, and nodded.

"Rose!" He demanded.

"Yes, Adrian. I've got it." I said. I shook my head. "I've got to go."

"Go where?" He asked.

"Anywhere but here." I said, starting for the door.


	33. I Feel Bad!

Before I could fully get there, Adrian grabbed my wrist.

"No. You're going to go do something stupid, and I'm not going to let you." He said. I looked at his hand on my wrist and back up at him.

"How do you know I was planning to do something stupid? I mean… I wasn't, but." I stopped. He smiled.

"I see that recklessness in you, like when ever your ready to take action without even thinking it through. I see it in you now. I know you, Little Dhampir, and I'm not going to let you leave." He said. I met his gaze, and sighed.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." I whispered, looking at the floor.

"You can start by sitting your ass down on that couch, while I get you something to drink." He said. I wanted to smile, but I couldn't force it out.

"I have to go get my things from my room." I said.

"You can do that later."

"No. I need to do it now. I know if I don't, I wont be able to bring myself to do it later." I said. He stared at me for a second, and nodded. I got up, and sighed.

"I'll be back… later." I said.

"Rose." He warned.

"I'll be back after I get my stuff."

"Okay." He said. I got up, and walked out, heading across court to my room. When I got to our room, I hesitated scared to go in. I was sincerely hoping he wasn't there, but I knew I wasn't going to get out of this that easily. I opened the door to find Dimitri at the counter, head in his hands. He looked up when I walked in.

"I just… I came to get some clothes and stuff." I said. I was careful not to fully meet his gaze. I walked past him, into our bedroom, and grabbed a duffle bag, and started filling it with clothes, and other things I'd need. I let the silent tears stream down my face, but made no noise. This was my decision and I wasn't about to let him see me cry over it. When I started to turn around, he was in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Roza… please." He begged. "Don't do this. There isn't any need for this. We can work it out."

"You've made it obvious that you don't want to 'work it out'. You want to blame it on me, and you know that this isn't all my fault, Dimitri."

"Your right. It's my fault. I started it." He said.

"Your just saying that now. You don't really mean it." I said. I threw the last few things I'd need into my bag.

"I do mean it, Roza. I do. You were right. I started it. I got drunk, and yelled at you, and I'm sorry." He said.

"I'll see you later, Dimitri." I said, throwing the bag over my shoulder. I walked past him through our bedroom doorway and towards our door.

"Roza, I'm begging you. Don't leave me. I need you."

"You need to figure out what it is you want, Dimitri. You said you regret coming back here, maybe.."

"Roza, no. I'm not going anywhere. I didn't mean that. Coming back was the best move I ever made. It gave me you, and Bailey."

"There's a little truth behind all drunken words. When you figure things out… Come find me. We'll talk." I said.

"Are you staying with Adrian?" He asked me. I met his gaze.

"Dimitri, I'm going to stay where ever I'm comfortable staying… and right now, that place isn't here." I told him. A few tears ran down his cheek.

"I really am sorry, Roza." He said. I just nodded.

"Good-bye, Dimitri." I whispered. I walked out the door, shutting it behind me. I let my back rest against it as I took a few deep breathes, and started walking back towards Adrian's room. When I got there, I walked in and threw my bag on the floor by his door. He looked up.

"I called and ordered a pizza. It should be here soon. You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"I'll shove it down your throat if you don't eat something." He said, face serious. I sighed.

"Fine, I'll eat, but I wont be happy about it." I said, giving him a mock smile. He threw me one of his smirks.

"Rose, things will get better."

"You know, people have told me that almost my entire life, and they do.. But not long enough for me to enjoy them, not long enough for me to revel in it, before it's ripped away from me." I said.

"That's not true, Rose. Your life can't be perfect. Things have to go wrong to make things better." He said. I sighed.

"Don't feed me your inspirational bullshit now." I muttered. He chuckled. He brought me over a glass of water, and sat it down on the table by the couch.

"For you." He said. I nodded.

"Thanks."

"Are you staying with Lissa?" He asked.

"I was actually wondering if I could stay here." I said, honestly.

"You really want to stay here? With everything that's happened with Dimitri."

"I'm not going to lie, I feel more comfortable here. Christian is always with Lissa, and when there around each other at home, I feel like I'm intruding all the time. I know it's not true, but it makes me feel uncomfortable." I admitted. He smiled.

"I get how you feel. To be honest, that's how I feel when I'm around Dimitri and you." He said. I nodded.

"I'd rather stay here than there. I guess I could stay with Viktoria if you don't want me here. She'd probably give me the guilt trip about her brother though."

"You can stay here, Rose. I've told you… your always welcome here." He said. I smiled, and walked over to hug him.

"Thank you." I said. He nodded.

"Anytime." He promised. I walked over, and sat down on his couch. The pizza arrived, and we both ate. I took out half the pizza myself. What could I say? I was hungry. When we finished eating, I kicked my shoes off, and curled up on his couch while he showered. I grabbed my bag, and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, and curled back up. When he came out, he had a pair of athletic shorts on. That was it. No t-shirt. I was careful to keep my eyes on the TV and not on Adrian. I wasn't going to lie, even being sober, I knew how hott Adrian was. It was a known fact to all the girls around court. After about an hour of watching TV in silence, Adrian stood up.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Little Dhampir." He said. I smiled. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head,

"Goodnight Adrian."

"Night Rose." He said, walking into his room. I laid there, staring up at the ceiling, praying for sleep to find me. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. I tossed and turned on Adrian's couch, trying to fall asleep. I couldn't get comfortable. I stared up at his ceiling for what seemed like forever. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep tossing and turning on Adrian's couch, so finally I sat up. I rubbed my face, and walked over to Adrian's door. 'Your just doing this to actually sleep, not because you want to be in bed with him.' I told myself as I walked to his door. I opened it slightly to find him sitting in his bed, rubbing his face. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" He asked, meeting my gaze. I nodded.

"I'm fine. I just really can't sleep out there on the-" He smiled.

"I'll go sleep out there, you can have the bed." He told me. I shook my head.

"No, I'm not kicking you out of your bed, that's rude." I took a deep breath. "I'm asking if I can sleep with you." I watched as about a million emotions played over his face. He nodded.

"Of course." He said. I should have known that'd be his answer. I might as well have just walked in, and crawled into bed with him. I walked over to the opposite side of the bed, and crawled in.

"Rose, I can really go sleep in-" I shook my head.

"It's fine. I just want to sleep, please." I told him. He nodded.

"Goodnight little dhampir." He murmured.

"Night." I said. It was silent for a minute, before I rolled over to look at him.

"Thank you, for doing all this for me." I murmured. He smiled.

"It's no problem. You've saved my life to many times for me not to help you." He said. I smiled. I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight." I said, before rolling back over, and closing my eyes, slowly falling into a deep sleep.


	34. He Wouldn't, Not Again!

**DIMITRI'S POV:**

I laid in bed, tossing and turning. I knew sleep wouldn't find me easily, so I didn't understand why I was even trying. My mind was assaulted with thoughts of her. I knew she was probably staying with Adrian. I knew she was probably happier there than she is here with me. I shook my head. I felt tears threatening to leak from my eyes again, but I quickly blinked them back, not wanting to cry for the fourth time today. I wondered what her and Adrian were doing. Was she sleeping in his bed with him? We're they kissing again, like they had before? Was she drunk? Did he take advantage of her? All these things assaulted my mind, driving me insane. I didn't know what to do, where to turn. My sister had tried to help, but quite honestly… she only made it worse. I sighed. Maybe Rose was right. Maybe going back to Baia was in my best interests. I'd said I wished I'd never came back, maybe I should leave for a little while, stay with my family, give Rose and me time to sort things through. Would she really care if I left? Would I even really be able to leave? There were so many unanswered questions. So many things I didn't know. What about Bailey? If I left, I'd also be leaving her, something I promised her and Rose I'd never do. I shook my head. I was so confused. I didn't know what to do. I'd lost a baby, and lost my wife all in the same week. How in the world could this get any worse? I knew how. The only way this could get worse is if I find out Adrian and Rose are together behind my back. That would make this worse. I shuddered at the thought. I knew the only way I'd be able to focus on something other than all the hurt and heartbreak I was feeling was if I got out of here, and soon. Maybe going back to Baia would help me. I sighed, and rolled over closing my eyes. Slowly, I fell asleep, having nothing but nightmares of my beautiful Roza walking away from me and into the arms of Adrian Ivashkov.

**ROSE'S POV:**

I woke up the next morning, staring into a face I wasn't expecting. Then night be fore's event came crashing down on me. I was staring into the sleeping face of Adrian. I tried maneuvering out of bed without waking him, but his eyes fluttered and opened. He smiled as he realized it was me in his bed.

"Goodmorning Little Dhampir." He said.

"Goodmorning." I said, sitting up. I rolled out of bed, and stretched.

"Sleep well?"

"Better than I would have on your couch." I admitted. He nodded. I walked out of his room, and out to my bag. I grabbed a change of clothes and went into his bathroom, getting a shower. When I got out, I felt so wrong. I didn't like being here. I wanted to be at home, with Dimitri. It was where I belonged, but… with everything going on right now.. I just couldn't be there. Not like this. I did my hair and make-up, and went back into the living room. Adrian came out of his room about the same time I came out of the bathroom. He smiled, but frowned.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You going somewhere?"

"I'm going to go see Lissa. Then, I'm gonna go to the gym for a bit." I told him. He nodded.

"Okay." He said. I opened his door, and walked out. I started towards Lissa's walking past Dimitri and my room. I wanted to open the door and run into his arms so bad, but I wouldn't. I couldn't. Not yet. I went to Lissa's door and knocked. Christian answered, and smiled.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Fire boy. Is Lissa around?" I asked.

"She's in the throne room taking care of some stuff." He told me. I nodded.

"Okay, thanks." I said, starting to turn.

"You look kind of rough, Rose. Is everything okay?" I shook my head.

"Not exactly." I muttered. He was silent for a second, and then met my gaze.

"Want to talk about it? I'm sure that Lissa's busy, and I'm here for you. You know that." He said. I smiled.

"Sure." I said, stepping inside, and into Lissa's room. I walked over and sat on their couch as he sat in the chair beside me.

"You and Dimitri still fighting?" He asked.

"We're kind of on a break right now." I said, pain dripping off the word 'break'.

"Woah. When did this happen?" He asked.

"Yesterday night, at Adrian's. I left here, going to go talk to him, and he went after Adrian. We started yelling, and I told him I couldn't do it anymore, and that we needed some time away from each other."

"How'd he take it?" Christian asked.

"When I went to the room to get my stuff, he begged me to stay."

"And you didn't?" He asked.

"I have to be strong right now. This wasn't my fault, and he knows it. You know it, and so does everyone else. He's pinning the blame on me only because he wants someone to blame." I said.

"Who'd you stay with last night?"

"Adrian." I said.

"You know, that can't be making the situation better." He told me. I nodded.

"I know that." I whispered, remembering sleeping in Adrian's bed last night.

"Why don't you stay here with us?" He asked.

"I don't want to feel like I'm imposing." I said.

"Rose, your always welcome-" I cut him off.

"I know that, but when it's just you and Lissa and me here, I always feel like I'm imposing on you guys, and it makes me uncomfortable. That's why I'm staying with Adrian."

"Your never imposing here, I hope you know that." He said. I smiled.

"I know, but it still feels that way sometimes, and it makes me feel bad. I'd rather stay with Adrian." I said. He was silent for a second, before he looked up at me.

"Rose, do you feel something for Adrian?" He asked. I looked up and met his eyes.

"I don't know what I feel for Adrian, but I know with Dimitri is where I belong." I said.

"That's may be true, but it's possible to love more than one person at a time." Christian told me. I sighed.

"I think a part of me might love Adrian, but I love Dimitri ten times more. Dimitri is where my heart is, but during that time Dimitri was gone, and all the things Adrian's done for me and my family. It's hard not to feel something for him." I whispered.

"Rose, it's okay. That's not a big deal."

"I'm married, Christian." I said. "I'm not supposed to love anyone else."

"It happens, Rose. Dimitri should be able to understand that, seeing as how it was his decision to leave." I shook my head.

"He wont. After everything that's already happened between Adrian and I, he wont understand." I said. "He wouldn't even listen to me if I tried to make him understand."

"You don't know that." He said.

"I've been married to him long enough. I know." I whispered. Christian smiled, and walked over to sit next to me.

"You and Dimitri are two of the strongest people I know. You guys will work through this." He said. I met his gaze.

"God, I hope your right."

"Maybe you should try talking-" I shook my head.

"I can't yet. Every time we talk it's a fight. I don't want that to keep happening." I said. He nodded.

"You guys will work it out." He said. I sighed.

"I'm going to go. I wanna go to the gym for a little bit." I said, getting up. I started towards the door, and turned back to Christian.

"Hey fire boy?" I asked. He looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you… for talking and all." I said. He smiled.

"No problem Rose."

"And don't tell Lissa about this just yet. I wanna tell her all this myself." I told him. He smiled.

"Okay." He said, before I walked out. I walked to the gym, and inside to find Viktoria.

"Great." I muttered. She looked up and smiled slightly.

"Hey Rose." She said. I nodded.

"Hey."

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm great." I said, sarcasm thick. She frowned.

"How are you really?"

"Dying." I said, walking over to the treadmill.

"Sounds about like my brother looked this morning." She said. I nodded. I knew what she was trying to do.

"What are you doing, Viktoria?" I asked. "Your trying to get me to go to him, and I cant."

"If you don't do it soon, it's going to be too late." She said. I stopped and turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, too late?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

"He's going home, back to Baia."

"Your bluffing." I said. There wasn't any way he'd leave like that. Not again. He wouldn't.

"I'm not. He told me he was planning to go back. He has his flight arranged for tomorrow around dawn." She said. I just stared at her.

"He wouldn't… he wouldn't just leave like that." I whispered.

"He is." She said. I stepped off the treadmill and started towards the door. I was about to lose it, charmed necklace or not. I didn't want to flip out on her.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything." She called after me. I ignored her and threw the gym door open, running out. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I was getting the hell out of there. I ran out the front doors of court, not caring that it was night, not caring that I could be captured by strigoi. I wanted to be anywhere but this place. I wanted to be anywhere but here. I started walking the courts ground, not caring about anything. Finally, I got to the point where my legs wouldn't hold me up anymore, and I dropped to them, sobbing into my hands. I'd really done it. I'd pushed him away. All I'd asked for was a break, some space to breathe for the both of us, and now this. I'd pushed him completely away, sending him back home. I didn't know what to do. I knew going to him now wouldn't change his mind, nothing probably would. I shook my head. Maybe he really had meant what he said. Maybe he did wish he'd never came back. I sat there, sobbing until I heard footsteps, and looked up to see Adrian.

"Rose, what happened?" He asked. I just met his emerald gaze full of sympathy and sobbed again. He walked over to me, and knelt down.

"I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." He said.

"There's nothing you can do for me." I whispered, mimicking the words he'd told me when he was being eaten by darkness.

"Rose, please?"

"Dimitri's leaving." I whispered.

"He wouldn't." Adrian said. I shook my head.

"He is. He told his sister that he was leaving, and going back home." I said, my body quaking as a sob rocked through it. I hated crying, it made me feel so weak, but damn it there was so much shit going on, it was hard not to. Adrian wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up.

"Just leave me alone." I whispered, pushing myself away from him.

"Rose, don't do this now." He said.

"Just go, Adrian. Leave me alone. I don't want to be around anyone right now." I growled, walking away. He grabbed my wrist, but when he did, I pushed him away. He looked kind of scared.

"Please… just stop." I begged. He shook his head.

"I'm not leaving until you Atleast go inside. It's dangerous to be out here at night, you know that."

"Then why the hell are you out here?" I demanded.

"Rose." He said, softly. "Please." I shook my head, and turned walking away from him and back into court. The moment I walked into court, and went to turn down one of the hallways, Dimitri emerged. He met my gaze, and worry, hurt, and so many other emotions crossed his face.

"Roza." He started. I shook my head at him.

"Don't." I said.

"What's going on?"

"Don't act like you don't know." I said, pushing past him, and walking down the hallway. I didn't even want to look at him. I went into Adrian's room, not even exactly sure where I'd left him, and slammed the door behind me, curling up on his couch.


	35. Turn Around!

I hadn't realized I'd cried myself to sleep until I woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee. I felt a blanket on top of me, which I didn't remember being there last night when I'd came in. I sighed. Dimitri would be leaving back to Baia soon, and there'd be nothing I could do to stop him. He'd be gone, and once again, just like before… I'd be all alone. I looked around to see Adrian at his counter with two coffee mugs.

"Morning." He said, smiling slightly.

"Goodmorning." I said, my voice thick with sleep. I could tell by the way he was looking at me, he was waiting on me to lose it again.

"I got you a cup of coffee. I figured you might need it." He said, bringing it over to me. I took it and smiled slightly.

"Thanks." He nodded.

"You okay?"

"I don't know." I whispered, honestly. I stood up, and stretched. "I'm going to get a shower." He nodded.

"Okay." He said. I walked to my bag, grabbed a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom, taking my coffee with me. I downed it, and jumped into the shower. When I got out, I did my hair, make-up, and brushed my teeth. When I walked out, Adrian was sitting on the couch. I sighed. He turned to look at me. I walked over and sat down next to him. He turned to look at me.

"Are you… are you going to try and stop him from leaving?" He asked. I turned to look at him, and then shook my head.

"No. I'm not."

"What? Why?" He exclaimed. I sighed.

"If he wants to leave, I'm not going to stop him. If it's what he wants, I'm not going to stop him."

"But.. But-" I shook my head.

"No. If he wants to go… I've got to let him." I said. I knew even if I went after him, even if I tried to stop him, it wouldn't matter. I sighed.

"I'm going to go out. I'll be back later." I said.

"Where are you going?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Anywhere but here." I whispered, getting up. I went to the door, and walked out. I went down to the café, to get something to eat. I got a salad, not really hungry enough to eat anything else. As I finished it, I saw Viktoria walk in. I quickly threw the money on the table and slid out the back door. I didn't want to see her, or talk to her right now. I knew she was probably looking for me. I went back into court, and into the throne room where I was sure Lissa would be. She smiled, but frowned at me when I walked in.

"Hey, how you doing?" She asked. It only took me a second to realize Christian or Adrian had told her.

"You know?" I asked. She nodded.

"Adrian."

"I kind of figured." I said. I should have known Christian wouldn't tell her. He was good at keeping promises. I knew that.

"Is he really leaving?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out around dawn." I said.

"I don't really think he's going to leave, Rose." She told me. I chuckled humorlessly.

"I know he will." I told her. She shook her head.

"We'll see." She muttered. I hung out in the throne room with Lissa basically all day. I didn't speak unless spoken too, I was just a background person. I wasn't really in the mood for talking. Dawn was approaching quick, and I knew he'd be gone, never to return this time, I was sure of it. I left Lissa a little before dawn, walking out the front doors of court, staring off into the sky. I knew he was gone by now, and probably wouldn't be coming back. I wasn't sure why I was upset about it. I'd pretty much all but pushed him out the door, and back home. I'd ruined everything. A little space to breathe, it was all I wanted for both of us, for both of us to sort things out, but I'd apparently went to far. I'd screwed everything up. I didn't want things to turn out this way. I stood out in front of court, staring off towards the gates. The only thing running through my mind was, 'go after him, don't let him leave.' I took a few steps forward, putting me closer to the courts gates. Lissa and Adrian then entered my mind. Bailey was safe at school. I knew that much, but Lissa and Adrian were here, and I was supposed to protect them. Would I really leave, and put them in danger for love? I felt tears start to trickle down my cheek again. I shook my head, staring off into the sky.

"Roza?" The voice broke through everything. All of my thoughts came to a complete halt. I turned to meet his chocolate brown gaze.

"Dimitri… I thought you left." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"I… I tried. I didn't think it'd be that hard to leave this time, considering everything… but I couldn't do it. Every time I try, something tells me turn around." He whispered.

"What do you mean, considering everything?" I asked, confused.

"Considering the fact that you pretty much hate me." He said, looking down. "You have every right to hate me. I've hurt you so much, Roza." I shook my head.

"Hate you?" I scoffed. "Dimitri, we may fight, and a lot of stuff may have happened, but I'm your wife. I don't.. I don't hate you."

"But you were staying with Adrian." He said.

"I was staying with him for your sake and mine. You know that us being around each other wasn't in either of our best interests. We only yelled and screamed at each other, making things worse. We needed room to breathe."

"But you and Adrian." He started. I took a deep breath.

"There's nothing going on between Adrian and I. He doesn't get me like you do. I don't belong to him, the way I belong to you, Dimitri. There's always been something between Adrian, and I, I can't deny that… but I belong to you." I said, holding my hand up to show him our wedding ring. He sighed, and looked up at me, and back down.

"I guess it's true… You don't know how much you have-" He started.

"Until it's gone." I finished. He nodded.

"Roza, I'm sorry for the things I've said, the things I've done. I've been horrible to you, and you didn't deserve that. None of this was your fault. You were suffering from a loss, and I made it worse."

"You were suffering from a loss too. I'm so sorry about the things I did, the things I said. They were unforgivable." I whispered.

"No.. Not unforgivable." He said, taking a step closer. "I took everything I was feeling out on you. All the hurt, the pain, everything. I shouldn't have done that."

"And I took everything out on you too, and I'm sorry." I whispered.

"We shouldn't do this to each other." He said. I nodded.

"I know." I whispered. He stepped closer and took my hand in his.

"All I know is that I love you, and here is where I want to be. I don't ever want to leave you. This, right here with you, is where I belong." He said, voice strong.

"What we have, is all we'd ever need." I whispered. I stepped closer to him, and reached up on my tip toes, pulling his mouth to mine. God, it felt so good to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me to him, and once again I was home. This was where I belonged. It didn't matter how many times we fought, what we said to each other, this was it. He was my other half. I then pulled away and hugged him. I chuckled a little bit.

"What?" He asked, smiling down at me, obviously happy with this as well.

"Just thinking back, I remember there was a time when I told you, you could do all sorts of bad things to me, and I'd still come running back."

"Well, you didn't exactly come running back." He said.

"I more or less did. If you would have left, I would have went after you." I told him. "I was planning on it before you came out here." He shook his head.

"I swear, I love you Roza." He whispered. I smiled.

"God, you don't know how much I miss hearing that."

"You don't know how much I miss telling you that." He told me, grinning. I sighed, and snuggled myself in his arms. I pulled away and looked up at him, smiling.

"Let's go home." I whispered.

**A/N: Alright guys, I hope your happy. Their back together. Jeez, I had people ready to bite my head off. I was sort of afraid for my life for a little bit. ;) Just a little side note, when I was writing this, I definitely got my inspiration from the song Turn Around by Bruno Mars. Good Song, matches their situation. Definitely look it up. **

"**Every time I try to leave, something tells me turn around." ;) **


	36. This Is It!

The moment I walked into our room, it overwhelmed me. I'd been so scared I'd lost Dimitri, and lost all of this forever. I started towards our bedroom door, but Dimitri grabbed my wrist, and pulled me to him, bringing my mouth to his. I kissed him back sweetly, completely caught off guard. I reached up, and wrapped my arms around his neck, standing on my tip toes. He wrapped his arms around my waist, picking me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist to hold myself up. He started towards the bedroom, and automatically I knew where this was going. Make-up sex? Hell yes. I smiled against his mouth. He took me into the bedroom, and laid me down on the bed, crawling over me, never removing his lips from mine. He trailed kisses down my jaw. I shuddered at the feel of his soft lips on my body. He smiled against my skin. I ran my hands underneath his shirt, and pulled it off over his head. He made an agitated noise at the separation of our lips. Once his shirt came off, clothes were removed quicker and quicker. After his shirt, my shirt, his pants, my pants, his boxers, my panties until we were both naked. We weren't in a rush in anyway. We hadn't been together like this, and we savored in the moment, knowing that we both missed being like this, being this close. We laid in each others arms for the longest time, just kissing, drinking in everything about each other, before he pushed himself inside me. Once again, I loved this feeling, being pressed body to body, skin to skin, not knowing where he ended and I began. This was the way it was meant to be forever. Thinking of how I almost lost this made my heart ache. I dug my nails into his back, pulling myself closer to him. Even becoming one with Dimitri, I still felt like I couldn't get close enough to him. I'd been without him to long. With each thrust into me, I felt my release getting closer and closer until my entire body quaked underneath of him. He pushed himself slowly into me one last time before he crashed against me. Our skin was slick with sweat as he pulled out of me, and rolled over onto his back. I pulled myself closer to him, laying my head on his chest. He kissed my hair, and chuckled.

"God, Roza. I love you so much." He whispered.

"I love you too Comrade."

"I can't believe I almost lost you." He murmured into my hair.

"I'm not going anywhere… ever." I assured him, pulling my body closer to his.

"Good, because I was a wreck without you."

"Join the club." I whispered. He chuckled.

"Sleep, my beautiful Roza. You never have to be without me again. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what." He assured me. Those were dangerous words, and we both knew that. However, I believed him. I pulled the blankets around us, and slowly fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri's peacefully sleeping face. I smiled. I'd been so terrified that last night had been a dream, that I was afraid to wake up. I laid there, staring at him for awhile, watching him sleep. He was beautiful, regardless of his flaws, and everything else. We'd been through so much, but it only made us stronger. There wasn't anything we couldn't get through. He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Hello there." I murmured. He smiled.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"About an hour."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" He asked, reaching over, and letting his hand trace my face.

"I didn't want to wake you. You looked like you could use a good nights sleep." I said. He nodded.

"I haven't actually slept since you left." He murmured.

"Dimitri… that's horrible."

"Remember what you said about waking up to a cold bed? It hurt to much to wake up without you for me to actually fall asleep." He said. It made my heart ache listening to him talk that way. I shook my head, and smiled slightly.

"You never have to wake up to a cold bed again. I'm here, forever." I whispered, repeating myself from last night. He smiled. We both got out of bed, and got dressed. As we laid on the couch together in silence, I realized something.

"I need to go get my stuff from Adrian's." I said.

"I'll go get it." He told me. I shook my head, knowing what he was trying to do.

"No. I can do it. I have to thank him for letting me stay with him too. I'll only be gone a little while." I assured him. He didn't look like he wanted to let me go. I felt his grip around my waist tighten before he released me.

"Please, hurry back to me." He murmured. I turned to face him, and pressed my lips to his gently.

"I'll be back soon. Just let me get my things, and thank him and I'll be back." I promised him. He nodded.

"Okay." I kissed him again, and got up, starting across court to Adrian's room. When I got to his room, he door was cracked and looked like someone had busted through it. _No! _It was the only coherent thought my mind could form. I busted in the room, and found it empty. _No. _This couldn't be happening. Not again. I started out of his room, and called his name. I heard a noise that sounded like someone started to scream, and then someone clamping their hand over their mouth. I started running in the direction of that noise. The closer I got, my stomach stirred. I was getting closer, I could feel it in my gut. Before I could find Adrian, someone grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms behind my back.

"Hello Guardian Hathaway." They said, voice cold like ice, causing goosebumps to rise.

"Please, don't do this." I begged.

"Begging gets you no where." He said. I then heard footsteps, and then heard a voice that made my blood run cold.

"Hey Rose?" It was Lissa.

"Lissa don't." I started, but it was too late. There was already another strigoi, grabbing her. She fought against him without much prevail.

"Let her go." I growled.

"I don't think I will. Let's go Jesse." The strigoi holding Lissa said. Lissa met my gaze, terrified. I shook my head at her. _I'm sorry. _I mouthed. It'd been my job to protect her, and here we were, being captured by strigoi… again. I'd failed her for the second time. They led us outside, and into the night. They threw us into the back of a van, and slammed the doors.

"Lissa, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm… I'm fine." She said, hands over her stomach. _Oh God. _I'd completely forgotten, she was pregnant.

"Adrian, are you okay?" I asked. He nodded once. I shook my head.

"I'm going to get you guys out of here. I promise." I whispered. I knew this time, with the both of them here, there was a slim chance of me making it out alive. I didn't care, and didn't think about it.

"Rose, what are we going to do?" Lissa asked, obviously crying.

"I'm going to get you out of here, okay? I'll find a way."

"How are we going to get out of here without you dying?" Adrian asked, seeing what I was doing. _Damn him_.

"I don't know, Adrian." I finally said.

"Rose, we're not doing-" I growled into the darkness.

"Shut up, Adrian." I snapped.

"Rose, I'm not going to leave-" I cut Lissa off to.

"Your pregnant. You have a baby to think about. Don't end up like me. If I give you the opportunity toe run, you better do it damn it." I snapped. The van fell silent. The van finally came to a stop. I wasn't sure how far we'd driven, but I knew we hadn't gone that far. When the van stopped, they opened the doors, and pulled us out. I looked around to see we were in the middle of no where. There was nothing around us except trees. We were screwed. When he pulled me out of the van, I threw a kick, causing him to stumble. I threw a punch, connecting to his face. I tried for my stake, but it was gone. _Dammit. _I continued fighting. The strigoi holding Lissa let her go and came after me.

"Lissa, run." I screamed. She started to run, but another strigoi grabbed her. As I continued fighting, another strigoi grabbed me from behind. I just couldn't win. I fought against the strigoi, but now that he'd got a good hold on me, I couldn't get away. They led us into a log cabin. I looked around to find all the windows and doors, all the places they could escape. They led us into the basement, and threw us inside. They grabbed a string of rope, and tied each of our hands up. Of course. I should have known better. After we were tied, they threw us on the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" Lissa demanded.

"Can you imagine how much praise we'll get for killing two royals and their guardian?" He asked, before turning towards the door. I growled.

"You wont touch them." I said.

"Give it time. We may not be the one's hurting them." He said, before walking out. I stared at the door, completely lost.

"Rose.. What are we going to do?" Lissa asked, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm going to get you guys out of here." I said, meeting Adrian's gaze. He shook his head at me. I nodded.

"It's the only way you're getting out alive." I whispered.

"Rose, no." Lissa said. I shook my head.

"Both of you stop it. I'm a guardian. I die to protect moroi. This is what I'm supposed to do. I might live, I might not. All I know is that I have to get you out of here." I whispered. "And I'm going to do it, now both of you… shut up. I've got to think." I closed my eyes, and started strategizing a plan to get them.. And possibly me out.

**BAILEY'S POV:**

I was sucked into my mommy's head. Her fear made my entire body freeze. My bond wasn't as strong as mommy and auntie Lissa's but I knew something was wrong. I could feel that mommy thought she was going to die. I pushed harder against the bond, trying to find out what happened. _Strigoi. _She'd been captured by them. Mommy, Lissa and Adrian. I wondered if daddy knew. I shook my head and went running for Eddie's dorm. I beat down his door. When he opened it, his face became alarmed.

"What, Bailey?" He asked.

"You have to take me home, now. My mommy, Lissa and Adrian have been captured." I said, the words falling from my mouth so quick, I wondered if he understood.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Please Eddie, get me home. I have to help daddy find mommy." I said, freaking out. He nodded.

"Alright, come on." He said, grabbing my hand. We ran to the parking lot and to one of the vans. He helped me in, and went speeding down the road. I knew with Auntie Lissa there, I was the only one that could help daddy find mommy. I couldn't let her die. I wouldn't. We arrived to the airport, and got onto the plane, heading home. I knew Eddie and me would both get into trouble for leaving like that, but it didn't matter. I had to save my mommy, and that was all I knew. It seemed to take million years to get home. The moment the plane landed and the door opened, I was down the stairs, and running into court. I ran straight for our room.

**DIMITRI'S POV:**

I was sitting on the couch waiting on Rose's return. She was taking a lot longer than I suspected. I had no idea she'd be gone this long. I heard our door thrown open, and turned to find Bailey.

"Bailey, what are you-" She cut me off.

"Mommy's been captured by strigoi. Lissa and Adrian are with her." She said, the words rushing out of her mouth. I froze where I stood. _NO!_

"No. Not again." I said. Bailey nodded.

"We have to hurry. She's scared she's going to die. Daddy, we have to save mommy." She said. I nodded. Eddie was running down the hallway. I ran towards the guardian's desk.

"The queen, Ivashkov, and Guardian Hathaway have been captured by strigoi." I said to the guardian at the desk. Guardian's scattered. I took Bailey's hand, and started towards the vans. I jumped in one, helping Bailey into the passengers seat.

"I need you to go to mommy, and tell me where she is." I said, starting the van, and backing out. She nodded, and closed her eyes. She was concentrating so hard, it made me scared for her.

"Keep going straight after you get out of the gates." She said. I nodded at her, and started towards the gates. The guardian's at the gate saw me before I got there, and opened them.

**BAILEY'S POV: **

I was in mommy's head. I pushed harder and harder against the bond, trying to get into her head even more. Before I knew it, it was in her head, seeing through her eyes. She was in what looked like a basement, staring at Lissa and Adrian. Auntie Lissa was crying and Adrian was staring at mommy. I could feel the things going through mommy's head. She was planning on helping them get out, but she wasn't planning on getting out herself. She wouldn't do that, would she? She wouldn't take herself away from me like that, would she? To save Auntie Lissa and Adrian? She would. I knew my mommy to well. She'd do anything for Liss and Adrian, the same way she'd do anything for me and daddy. I could feel us getting closer as daddy drove down the road. I used the bond to tell which way to go next.

"Turn right on the next road." I told daddy. I looked towards him, to see him crying. I patted his leg.

"We're going to find her." I promised him. He smiled a little, and nodded. I settled back down in my seat, and went back to mommy. The basement door opened, and the strigoi came in. My blood ran cold. We had to hurry.

"We've got to hurry daddy." I said, staying in her head. I caught the thought as it ran through my mommy's head.

"This is it." Mommy thought. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I wasn't going to lose my mother this way. No!


	37. Stronger!

The strigoi were back, and I knew my time to come up with a plan was limited.

"Rose." The strigoi started. I growled at him.

"How the hell do all of you know my name?" I demanded. He chuckled.

"Your popular among the strigoi world, I must admit." He told me.

"Well, keep my name out of your mouth." I growled at him. He shook his head.

"I suggest you watch it Hathaway. I'm giving you a chance to live, so shut up and listen." He snapped. I recoiled a little at his tone.

"What?" I demanded, knowing it was some ultimatum to get me to join the strigoi.

"You have to choose one of them. Your queen, or your 'best friend'." He said, giving me a look.

"What do you mean, choose?" I asked, getting agitated.

"One of them can live… and it'll be your choice. One of them lives… but in the end, to keep yourself…alive you have to kill the other yourself." He said.

"What kind of sick, twisted game are you playing here? So… I get to choose who lives, and I have to kill the one I don't choose, but then I get turned?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Sounds right." He said. I laughed.

"You're an idiot if you think I'm going to go with that." I said. The strigoi chuckled.

"If you don't…all of you die. Would you rather save one, and yourself, or all of you die?" He asked. I growled.

"Get out. I don't want to look at you anymore." I snapped. He chuckled.

"Make your decision Hathaway." He said, before leaving. Tears were streaming down Lissa's face. I knew she was terrified. I looked at Adrian to see his eyes were on the ground.

"It should be me." He said.

"What?"

"Pick Lissa. I should be the one that dies." He told me.

"No. Neither of you are going to die."

"Oh yeah? How do you plan on getting us out of here?" He demanded.

"Adrian, no one is going to die."

"I don't think we're going to get out of it this time." He said, shaking his head.

"Don't doubt it, Adrian." I snapped. He looked down at the floor. I turned to Lissa.

"It's going to be okay." I whispered. She shook her head.

"It wont be. It doesn't matter if one of us lives and dies… your going to be a strigoi." She cried.

"I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me, you worry about you, and getting your ass out of here." I said. She nodded, but I knew she was still worried about me. The room fell silent, but I heard a voice in my mind, a voice that I'd know anywhere. My daughters voice. _"Just hang on mommy, we're coming." _It said. _Bailey. _Dimitri was using her to lead her to us. It was possible that all of us could make it out.

"Lissa, how long do you think someone can be dead before you can heal them back to life?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Maybe an hour or two." She said. "Why?" She sniffled.

"Just wondering." I said. I fell back into my planning. If I could hold it off for a little while longer, I could go through with the strigoi's demands. I could kill Adrian, fight our way out with the help of Dimitri and the other Guardian's, have Bailey heal him back to life, and all'd be right. I just had to work on the timing issue. What if they didn't make it here in time? What if we waited to long to kill Adrian and he really was dead? What would I do then? I had no idea. I was so scared. So many things could go wrong.

**BAILEY'S POV:**

I sat in the front seat, still leading daddy down the road to mommy. I could feel the struggle in her head. She was freaking out, worrying about how to get Auntie Lissa and Adrian out of that place. As I heard her plan in my head, I informed daddy. He nodded, not really saying anything. I wondered what he was thinking. I knew he was scared, scared for mommy. He'd lost his baby, my brother or sister, and it was possible we could lose my mommy, and his wife, and two of our best friends. I couldn't even imagine what that'd do to him.

"Daddy… We're going to save them." I whispered. He met my gaze for a second before turning back to the road.

"I hope your right baby. I hope your right." He said. I settled back into my seat, and slipped into my mothers head. Listening to my mothers thoughts was always interesting. She was going through ways of escaping, and also trying to work her wrists out of the ropes that confined them. She was almost there, but not quite.. She still had a long way to go. I felt that she knew I was in her head. She knew that I was watching, and listening. She was being strong for me, and I knew that. The door opened, and the strigoi came back in. My entire body locked up as my mother looked up into the monsters red-rimmed eyes.

"Strigoi are back." I said, out loud to my father.

"What's going on?" He asked, voice hard.

"I don't know yet. Hold on." I said, going back to mommy.

"Have you made you decision yet?" He asked.

"What decision?" Mommy said.

"Who your going to keep, and who your going to kill?" He asked.

"Your impatient. That's a big decision, and you expect me to make it in twenty minutes?" Mommy snapped back at him. She was such a smart-aleck. I'd have to remind Eddie that's where I got it from.

"You have till sunrise to make your decision. If you haven't made it by then, you're all dead." He said. Mommy growled at him.

"How long is it till sunrise?"

"Two hours." He said. Mom nodded and watched as he turned and walked out.

"Shit. We've got to figure out how we're going to get out of here." Mommy told them. They nodded. I then pulled out of mom's head and explained to daddy what the strigoi said.

"Sun rise? We've got two hours?" He asked. I nodded.

"We're not far dad, just breath." I told him. "We're going to get them out of there." He nodded once, not agreeing or disagreeing.

"I hope your right."

"I am. Now, this road up here… Make a right." I told him. He nodded and followed my directions. I knew we we're close.

"Bailey, when we get there, I want you to get in the back of the van, and duck down. I don't want anyone to know you're here. They might come after you. I also need you here because I might need you to heal someone." He told me. I nodded.

"I'll be here."

"Your so strong baby. Your just like your mommy." He told me. I grinned.

"I've always told her I wanted to be just like her." I told him. He smiled a little, which I hadn't been expecting.

"Go back to mommy." He said. I nodded, and crashed back into my mothers head. Her hands were free now, she's managed to work her wrists free of the rope. Not without cutting up her wrists. They were bloody, and I could feel she was in pain. She untied Adrian and Lissa's ropes.

"Now, I want you to listen… Dimitri and the other guardian's are coming." She whispered, trying to avoid having the strigoi hear. "We're going to have to hold off Atleast until they get here." Mommy told them.

"How do they know where we are?"

"They have Bailey. Bailey's been in my head. She's strengthened our bond. She's leading Dimitri and the rest of the guardian's to us." Mommy said. "Worst case scenario, they don't get here in time, I'll snap Adrian's neck.." Uncle Adrian's face fell.

"We have two people who can heal you if it comes to that. You wont actually die."

"Wont that bond me to one of them?" He asked. Mommy shrugged.

"I don't know, but that's a chance we're going to have to take." She told him. He just nodded, not questioning her. "Lissa, we're getting you out of here. You have a baby, and you're the most vulnerable. You have to get out, period." She told her. Lissa just nodded.

"Their close. I can feel Bailey getting closer through our bond. Maybe.. Maybe we'll get out of here complication free." Mommy said. Our bond had gotten pretty strong. I'd pushed myself into her mind, causing us to be linked pretty well. If she knew I was close, the bond was strong. I pulled myself out of her head, and said stop. Dad hit the brakes.

"What?" He asked. I stared off into the forest, but saw nothing. I opened the door and got out of the van, peering off into the forest.

"She's that way." I said, pointing. Daddy walked up next to me, and all the other guardians stood behind us.

"Your sure?" Eddie asked me.

"I'm positive." I said, looking at him. He nodded once.

"Bailey, get back in the van, huddle down in the back seat, and lock the doors. I'll be back with mommy soon." He told me.

"Daddy, I want to help." I complained.

"Bailey.. I don't have time for this. The sun's coming up soon. Please." He said. I sighed.

"Fine… Be careful.. Please. All of you." I said, turning to face all the guardian's who were set on saving my mother, the queen, and Lord Ivashkov's son. I walked back into the van, and got into the backseat, shutting and locking the doors. They didn't have much time, and I knew that strigoi were very impatient. I hoped they could make it. I hoped they could save them all. I wanted my mommy, Aunt Lissa, and Uncle Adrian home safe. I closed my eyes, and fell into my mommies head, waiting on the crashing of the Guardian's breaking into the house.


	38. Stand Up

**DIMITRI'S POV: **

I trudged through the forest, where Bailey said Rose was. It seemed like we'd been walking forever. I was starting to doubt my daughter. The sun was about to come up. We had maybe about fifteen minutes. Then, in the clearing… I saw it. It was a long cabin, small and quaint, somewhat similar to the cabins all around St. Vladimirs Academy. We didn't have much time, and I knew that, but I also didn't want to rush them now, and have them escape. If we waiting until the sun actually came up, we'd have them trapped, no where to run. Slowly, as we walked, the sun rose up over the horizon.

"Lets go." I said. In the back of the pack of Guardian's, I caught my sisters face. God, if I'd have known she was here, I'd have made her stay with Bailey. As I reached the door of the house, I instructed half of the group to go the back door and wait for my que. I sat by the door, and waited for a sound, anything to show there was a struggle. That would be my que to go.

**ROSE'S POV: **

I was pretty positive the sun was up outside. I waiting for the strigoi to enter. All of us sat in the same position on the floor, hands behind our backs as if they were still tied there. When he came in, this time his friends stood in the doorway. The strigoi smiled.

"Have you made your choice Ms. Hathaway?" He asked.

"I have…" I said. I had to drag this out, hoping maybe it'd give them more time. I felt Bailey around, but she wasn't here. "Adrian… I'm so sorry."

"Rose… No, please." Adrian begged, meeting my gaze. I stood up, careful not to show my hands weren't tied.

"Lissa's been my best friend for far to long. She's the queen, and your simply another person. I can't let her die. I wont. I'm her guardian. I have to protect her." I told him. I took a side step towards Adrian and the strigoi. I was pretty positive all of his buddies were ready for a fight. There was only four of them, but I sensed more out in the living room. I wondered how many were actually here. It was a big cabin.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. Then, like a ninja, I turned and swung on the strigoi. He caught my punch hard to the face. His buddies stumbled forward, trying to grab me, but I started throwing punches and kicks everywhere, not caring which one I hit.

"Lissa, Adrian, Run!" I exclaimed. They started towards the door, dodging their way through strigoi. They actually made their way out. I then heard crashing outside in the living room. I then heard a voice that made my heart jump. It was Dimitri. I started fighting harder. I had to get out of here. I had to get to him, to my baby girl. I then caught a hard punch to the face, causing me to stumble and almost fall. The strigoi finally grabbed a hold of me, getting a good grip.

"Roza?" I heard. I looked up to see Dimitri trying to fight his way through the strigoi to get to me. This wasn't happening. Please. I started squirming in the strigoi's grip, trying to get out of his grip. I swung an elbow back, catching him in the face, loosening his grip the slightest bit. I used it, getting out and swinging on him. I made my way to the door, and outside, where Adrian threw me my stake. There were about five strigoi left that were visible, but they were the strongest. The one that had held us captive was set on me. He lunged at me, but he caught my elbow to the face. He growled and threw a punch, catching me hard in the stomach. I gagged, but kept fighting. I drug my stake across his face, causing him to cry out. I kicked him into the wall, and drove my stake into his chest. I turned to see Lissa make it out the door. I sighed in relief. Dimitri took out two more strigoi and Eddie and Viktoria took out the other two. Adrian was still standing as well, bloody and scratched, but standing. How he'd managed to stay here, and not die was beyond me. I'd always known he was strong for a moroi, but damn. As we stood there, we stared at each other. I met Adrian's gaze for a split second, but then, my blood ran cold. My stomach stirred and out jumped a strigoi from an unseen place. He lunged at Adrian, but Viktoria jumped between. Viktoria had acted on impulse, but didn't have time to stage an attack. I lunged for her, a terrible shriek leaving my lips. It was to late. I'd been to late. Before I could reach them, the strigoi locked his grip around her neck, and snapped it like a toothpick. I hit the ground next to where the strigoi dropped her. He started after me, but Dimitri grabbed him, throwing him back, and taking him out. I started down into my sister-in-laws face. I grabbed her hand.

"Please… No." I whispered. "Viktoria, wake up." She never moved. I knew she wouldn't, but I didn't want to except it. I placed my fingers at her neck, hoping and praying for a pulse, but there was nothing. Her eyes were already glazing over. She was gone, and there was nothing I could do. Dimitri dropped to his knee's next to me.

"No." He whispered, the word barely audible. He was staring down into his little sisters face, tears rolling down his bloody cheeks. She was gone, and there was nothing any of us could do. Eddie walked over, and knelt down next to us. Viktoria had died saving a moroi, that stood for something didn't it?


	39. Brand New Eyes

I didn't know what to do, my entire body had locked up. Dimitri's sister, my sister in law, and Bailey's Aunt was dead.

"This isn't happening." Dimitri murmured, pain dripping off the words as they came from his lips. "She can't be dead." As I sat there, staring into her cold lifeless face, something hit me like a battering ram

"Adrian." I whispered. I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "You can save her."

"No.. I can't."

"What are you talking about, of course you can." I said.

"It'll bond us." He said.

"It doesn't matter, Adrian. She's dead. She died saving your life. You owe her. You've been needing a bond mate, someone to share the darkness with, Adrian this is it."

"I wont do that to her. She wouldn't want that." He said, staring down at her lifeless body.

"Adrian, please." I begged. He met my gaze, and took a few steps closer and knelt down. He laid his hands on her neck, and closed his eyes. The room fell silent. Right now, everything was resting on this. I wouldn't let her die. After a few minutes, her hand twitched in mine. I squeezed her hand tight.

"Viktoria?" I whispered. Her eyes fluttered, and opened, and the first pair of eyes she met was Adrian's. They locked gazes for a moment, before her eyes moved to me.

"Rose, what happened?" She whispered, tears flowing down her face.

"You saved Adrian, and Adrian saved you." I whispered. She looked back at Adrian, meeting his tired gaze.

"You… that means we're-?" She asked. I could tell she was confused and probably in pain.

"Bonded?" Adrian asked. Then he nodded. "I'm sorry, Viktoria." She sat up, holding her neck. She reached out for Adrian, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held him for the longest time, and he didn't object to it. He wrapped his arms around her waist as well. When she pulled away, she met his gaze.

"Thank you." She murmured. He nodded, and pulled away. I wondered what they were experiencing right now, being newly bonded. I couldn't quite remember what the feeling's were like since I was younger, and was pretty much out of it when Lissa had bonded us.

"Lets get out of here." I said. They nodded. Dimitri helped Viktoria up, and picked her up into his arms.

"Dimka, I can walk." She objected. He shook his head.

"No you can't." He told his little sister, smiling. Adrian stood, but then almost toppled over. I'd forgotten, he'd just brought someone back from the dead. He was tired.

"Adrian." I said, grabbing him. He smiled.

"I'm fine, Little Dhampir." He promised. I wrapped an arm around his waist, supporting most of his weight, trying to keep him from toppling over. As we walked, he kept stumbling, and tripping over his own feet. One time, he brought me down with him. When we finally made it to the van, Bailey's face peaked out the window, tears streaming down her cheeks. She opened the van, and jumped out, running straight for me. It was hard to balance Adrian and catch her, but I did.

"Mommy, I'm so glad your okay." She cried, burying her face into my stomach. I smiled.

"Mommy's fine baby." I whispered. She just held me and cried. Dimitri loaded Viktoria into the back seat, and I helped Adrian in next to her. I knelt down and met Bailey's gaze.

"You were so brave. I could feel you in my head, I could hear you." I told her. "You saved our lives." She smiled brightly.

"I told you, I wanted to be a superhero, just like you." She said, recalling something she'd said to me when she was five. I smiled and kissed her cheek.

"You are the bravest, strongest, most amazing little girl ever." I told her. I then looked at Eddie. "Thank you so much." I wrapped my arms around his waist, and held him.

"Your welcome." He murmured. I looked back at the van we had Adrian and Viktoria in.

"Would you mind riding with Eddie back home?" I asked her. She frowned, but shook her head.

"No. I'll see you when we get home, right?" She asked. I nodded.

"Of course."

"Okay. I'll ride with Eddie." She said, side-stepping closer to him. He smiled and patted her head. They went and got into the other van as I shut the back door, and got into the passengers side of our van. Dimitri started it and turned around, heading back towards court. I turned around and met Adrian's tired gaze.

"How you holdin' up guys?" I asked.

"My neck hurts." Viktoria said.

"My everything hurts." Adrian said. I noticed Viktoria's eyes on him. He turned and met her gaze and smiled slightly. I could tell by the way she looked at him, Viktoria saw him through completely new eyes. I wondered what that meant for them.

**VIKTORIA'S POV: **

God, my neck was killing me and my head was still spinning. I'd been dead. I was dead for Atleast five minutes. All I remembered was I had to save Adrian. He would have died otherwise, and I wasn't going to let that happen. He was a moroi, and it was my job to protect him. I jumped in front of him, knowing I might die. _They come first. _The phrase they'd pounded into my head from day one. When I woke up, he was the first thing I saw. his gorgeous emerald green eyes. I'd always known Adrian was one of the most gorgeous men on the face of this Earth, but I felt closer to him, like I knew him on some kind of strange deeper level, even though I barely knew him at all. I knew he had problems harboring the darkness that came with spirit, which was something I now had to help him deal with. Although that wasn't much in trade for my life back. Adrian had been my savior, my light in the darkness. I'd always been attracted to Adrian, but never really knew him enough to know why. Now that we were bonded, connected on a new level, I found myself even more attracted to him. Why? Maybe it was because I could feel what he was feeling, and could see what made Adrian tick. I looked over at him, and met his eyes. So much flowed through that gaze and I wondered if he noticed it. I turned and looked down at my hands. I laid my head up against the glass window, focusing on Dimka and Roza talking in the front of the cab. Before I knew it, I felt something on my shoulder, and looked down to see Adrian's head leaned against my shoulder. I turned my head and kissed the top of his head. When I pulled away, I saw his full lips turn up into a smile.


	40. Baby You Saved Me

We drove for what seemed like ever before we got back to court. When we reached the gates, I smiled. It felt so good to be home. I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it out of that one. Although if Adrian, and Liss would have, I would have been perfectly okay with that. _I wouldn't have. _I heard. Bailey was in my head again. I chuckled. Dimitri looked over at me, and smiled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Seems I've got someone who's going to like to invade my privacy a little more than usual." I told him. I knew Bailey was laughing in the other van. We all got out, including Lissa who'd been hiding in the other van with the other guardians. Dimitri picked up Viktoria out of the back, and carried her in. I grabbed Adrian, helping him stumble out of the van. I wrapped a strong arm around his waist, and guided him to the courts front doors.

"Come on.. Lets get you to your room." I said, starting towards his hallway. He shook his head.

"No. I want to go to the infirmary with Viktoria." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"I want to go to the infirmary with Viktoria. I want to make sure she's okay." He said. I met his gaze for a second, and nodded.

"As you wish." I said, following Adrian. Bailey ran up next to me, and smiled.

"Is Aunt Viktoria gonna be okay?" She asked me. I nodded.

"She's going to be fine." I promised. Bailey nodded. When we got to the infirmary, he laid Viktoria down on one of the beds, and called the nurse.

"She needs some X-rays of her neck. It was broken, but we had a moroi heal her. We need to know if she's fully healed though." Dimitri said, authority strong in his voice.

"I'm fine. My neck is fine. I can move it. If I wasn't fine, obviously I'd be dead." She said.

"That's not funny." Adrian told her, locking gazes with her for a split second. She just nodded.

"He's right. It's not. We just want to make sure you're fully okay." Dimitri told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, whatever. Do an X-Ray." She muttered. The nurse nodded.

"I'll send someone down to get you in a few minutes." She said. We all nodded.

"Thank you." I said, before she walked out. The room fell silent. Well, for a second before Bailey jumped on Viktoria's bed, and hugged her.

"I'm so glad your okay." She told her. I laughed as Viktoria wrapped her arms around Bailey.

"Thank you. God, I've missed you so much around here." Viktoria told her. Bailey giggled.

"I've missed being here." Bailey said. Eddie then walked in.

"And we've got to be heading back soon. I called the school, and cleared things up with them, but we've got to go back soon." He said. She frowned.

"I know." She said, sliding off Viktoria's bed. I looked at Eddie, and smiled.

"You think you could call them back and get Alberta on the phone?" He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Will you do that for me please? I'd like to talk to her." I said. He nodded. He dialed and waited.

"Alberta?" He asked. They answered before he spoke. "Someone wants to talk to you." He then handed me the phone. I helped Adrian into a chair, and stepped out the door.

"Alberta, it's Rose." I said.

"Hathaway? How are you? I heard what happened."

"I'm fine. We're just getting Dimitri's sister checked out. She got hurt a little more than the rest of us." I told her.

"I heard. How's Adrian? I heard their bonded."

"He's really tired. I'm taking care of him. Look, the reason I wanted to talk to you is… I wanted to know if-"

"Bailey could stay for a few more days?" She asked.

"Yeah. She was really worried, and she led Dimitri straight to us. I kind of want to spend some time with her." I said.

"That's fine, Rose. Bring her back when your ready. You know if a students gone for more than two weeks, we withdrawal them." I chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." I told her, smiling. "Thank you Alberta. I'll have her back soon. Eddie will be back shortly though, I'm sure."

"Okay. Thank you, Rose. Give my wishes of a full recovery to Viktoria and Adrian."

"I will. Bye." I said, before hanging up. I handed Eddies phone back and grinned at Bailey.

"You get to stay here for a little bit." I told her.

"Really?" She asked. I nodded. She ran and jumped into my arms. I flinched a little. I had caught some hard punches and kicks to the stomach. I saw Dimitri had noticed. I held her though, blowing it off. They came and got Viktoria, and took her down for her X-ray. I sat next to Adrian, and allowed him to lay his head on my shoulder.

"You need to go home, and go to bed." I whispered.

"I'm fine, Rose. Quit babying me." He said. I smiled.

"I'm not. I'm keeping you from going into a coma." I told him, chuckling.

"I'll be fine." He promised. I nodded. Viktoria was his bond mate, just like Lissa was with me. They were connected on a whole new level, and apparently this wasn't something Adrian took lightly. He was serious about this, about Viktoria and knowing she was okay. I smiled. Maybe this meant something more for them, more than a bonded set of friends. When Viktoria walked back in, everyone looked up.

"I told you guys I was fine. Jeez." She said. I smiled.

"I'm glad your okay." I told her. She grinned.

"Me too. I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you." She said, looking at Adrian. He smiled.

"It's no problem." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Dimitri, you get Viktoria and Bailey home. I'll walk Adrian to his room, and get him settled in, and I'll be back." I told him. He nodded. He kissed me sweetly.

"Be safe." He whispered.

"I will." I murmured, before he turned and walked to Viktoria. Bailey followed. I smiled and helped Adrian out of his chair, and down the hallways to his room. When I got him there, I helped him to the couch and grabbed him some aspirin and a glass of water.

"How you feeling?" I asked.

"Tired." He said.

"You want me to help you to your room?" I asked. He nodded. I helped him up and into his room to his bed. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and threw it to the floor. He crawled into bed and curled up. I sat down next to him, and moved the hair off his forehead.

"Adrian.. Thank you.. For saving her." I whispered. He shook his head.

"I wasn't going to let her die after what she did for me."

"Your amazing, you know." I murmured. He smiled and shook his head.

"Not as amazing as you."

"I didn't save someone's life today." I told him. He shook his head.

"No.. You saved three lives today. You were willing to die for me and Lissa to get out of there. You were also the one that got me to heal Viktoria. You saved three lives." He said. "Although, not everyone can be a badass superhero like you." I grinned, and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Adrian."

"Love you too Little Dhampir. Now go get back to your husband, and baby girl." He said.

"Feel better. I'll come check on you tomorrow." I promised. He chuckled.

"I know you will." He said. I kissed his forehead again, and turned to walk out. I walked back home to my room, to my family. The one's I thought I was going to lose today.

**ADRIAN'S POV: **

I felt like I'd been sleeping for days, when really I'd only been asleep for a few hours. I laid awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I could feel Viktoria was still awake through the bond. This was something that was still so new to me, being able to feel what someone else was feeling was strange, and sort of an invasion of privacy. I wondered how Rose and Lissa dealt with it. I debated on going to see Viktoria. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but I really wanted to. For some reason, I felt like I had to be near her.. around her. I got up and got dressed. I then started my way towards her room. When I knocked on her door, I could hear her footsteps. I wondered if she knew it was me. She opened the door and smiled slightly.

"Hey Adrian." She said, almost shyly.

"Hey." I said, not sure really what else to say.

"I kinda had a feeling you'd show up here." She said. I smiled. She stepped out of the way and allowed me to come in.

"I was kinda worried about you, and figured we needed to talk about this whole… bonded thing." I said. I was nervous. I'd never been nervous in front of a girl in my life, but I could feel my heart beating faster. I wondered if she noticed.

"You want to talk about this at four p.m.?" She asked. I chuckled nervously.

"I knew you were still awake, so I figured what the hell." I said. She smiled. It sort of lit up the room around us.

"Well, what do you want about? I mean.. it's sort of a done deal. The only way to break it would be for one of us to die, right?" She asked. I nodded.

"I think so." I said. I shuddered at the thought of one of us dying. I all of the sudden felt strangely protective over Viktoria. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I saw her eyes on me, and looked up to meet her gaze.

"You have really pretty eyes." She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks?" I said, the word coming out like a question.

"I'm sorry. That was weird. I've always noticed.. I've just never said anything. I.. I'm babbling, so I'm going to shut up now." She said. I smiled, feeling the nervous feelings run through her too. I then blurted out the next thing that came into my mind.

"Viktoria, I want you to be my guardian." I said. She met my gaze and stared at me.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes, you." I told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why me?"

"We're bonded, wouldn't that be sort of a good thing?" I asked. I was confused. Did she not want to be my guardian?

"If I was your guardian, I'd have to be around you… a lot." She said. _Ouch. _

"Is that a… a bad thing?" I asked. Her face became red.

"No.. No. That came out horrible. That's not the way I meant it. I just thought.. You wouldn't want to be around me all the time." She said, looking down.

"Why wouldn't I want to be?" I asked, taking a few steps towards her. She looked up, strands of hair lining her face.

"No, the question is why would you want to be?" She asked me, looking up to meet my face full on. The fate of this rested on this moment.

"Because your beautiful, and amazing, and you saved my life." I whispered.


	41. Questioning

**VIKTORIA'S POV: **

I couldn't believe it. I hadn't hear him right, had I? Adrian Ivashkov, a royal moroi had just called me beautiful, and amazing.

"I'm sorry… what?" I asked, feeling like a complete idiot.

"I said because your beautiful, and amazing, and you saved my life? That's kind of reason enough.. Isn't it?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm kind of… you think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course." He said, smiling a little. I could feel the nervous feelings running through him. I didn't know Adrian that well, but I'd heard all about him, and I never took him as one to get nervous in front of women, especially women like me.

"I… I'm sorry. I'd love to be your guardian, but.. You called me amazing, and beautiful when you know nothing about me." I said. _God, Viktoria.. Your stupid, _I told myself. Guy like Adrian calls you beautiful and amazing, and you question him.

"I don't have to know you.. I kinda know you on a deeper level now." He said. "I could always get to know you anyway. I mean, if you were my guardian, we'd have time for it."

"You don't know anything about me though. Think about what your saying. You called me beautiful and amazing. I grew up in a blood whore dhampir commune, in a house full of women who were all pregnant by the age of fifteen. I could have been on that same path." I said.

"But you weren't… you didn't take that path. You chose this one. You went to school, and became what you set out to be. I heard your story from Rose, about what you accomplished, why you came back here instead of staying in Baia. You weren't like that. You've got to much drive in you, like your brother." He said. I felt tears spring to my eyes. No one had ever said something like that to me before.

"Wow." I whispered, the word barely audible.

"What?"

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." I whispered, meeting his emerald gaze.

"I meant all of it." He said. I didn't know really what to say or do at this point. I was at loss for words, so I said the only thing I could think of.

"I'd love to be your guardian, Adrian." The words came out in a whisper. He smiled, and took another step towards me, and reached out, taking my hand in his. He laced his fingers with mine.

"Thank you." He said. I smiled and looked up to meet his gaze. When I met it, I quickly looked back down. He placed a finger under my chin, pulling my face up to look at him. He laid his hand on my cheek and smiled. He leaned forward slowly, as if asking for permission. I didn't reject him. He pressed his beautiful, full lips to mine, and I felt like someone had electrocuted me. It shot static electricity throughout my body. It started off slow and innocent, but turned into something more quickly. He traced my bottom lip with his tongue, begging for entrance, which I granted. He pulled me closer, pulling out bodies together. He removed his hand from my face to trail it down my body to my hip, where he left it. I reached up and knotted my fingers into his soft dark hair. When we finally pulled away, he met my gaze.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened." He murmured. I reached up and touched my lips.

"Don't… don't apologize." I whispered. He met my gaze, and something warm and wonderful shot through the very little space between us.

"I should go. I'll see you tomorrow, Guardian Belikov." He said, winking. I smiled and squeezed his hand that was still in mine.

"Goodnight Ivashkov." I said. He smiled and then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Goodnight Viktoria." He murmured, before releasing my hand slowly and walking towards the door. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Adrian Ivashkov, a rich, royal moroi had called me beautiful, amazing, and then kissed me. I smiled to myself. I looked at my clock to see it was six p.m. It was way past my bed time, so I want into my room, and curled up in my bed. A part of me wished Adrian was still here. It would have been nice to have someone to cuddle up with. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

**ROSE'S POV: **

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri's beautiful sleeping face. Bailey was asleep in her room, and I knew it wouldn't be long before she was awake. She was on St. Vladimir's schedule, and they were up early. Dimitri's eyes fluttered, and opened. I smiled.

"Goodmorning sunshine."

"Morning beautiful." He whispered. I leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." I whispered. "What about you?"

"I'm fine, now that I have you back safe and sound." He murmured. I smiled. "I thought I was going to lose you this time."

"I wasn't expecting to make it out of this one either."

"Bailey told me. She said she could hear you thinking about all the ways to get Liss and Adrian out, but not a way to get yourself out." He said. I growled.

"Damn that kid. If she wasn't mine, I swear." I muttered, jokingly. Dimitri smiled. I got up, and pulled my shirt off over my head. The bruise that has once been on my stomach was bad.. again. Dimitri growled a little.

"Roza, your stomach." He murmured. I looked down and shrugged.

"I'll live." I said, touching it gently, but then wincing. He shook his head.

"Damn strigoi." He muttered. I smiled. I put another shirt on, and changed into a pair of sweat pants. Today was definitely going to be our lazy day. Dimitri changed and we walked out to find Bailey on the couch, bowl of cereal in hand, watching cartoons. She turned around and grinned.

"You have no idea how good it feels to be home." She said. Dimitri and I both chuckled.

"Glad you feel that way." I told her. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"How are you doing?" She grinned.

"Good. How are you?"

"I'm fine." I assured her. She nodded.

"Good." She said. I chuckled.

"How's school been? I haven't talked to you in a while."

"It's been good. I love it there. I've made so many friends. I miss being here though. I miss you, and daddy, and Uncle Adrian and Lissa." She said. I grinned.

"And we all miss you." I told her. She nodded.

"Duh. This place is boring without me." She said. I chuckled.

"Your right. It is." I told her. She smiled brightly. We hung out on the couch, and around the room, pretty much the whole day. It felt good to have our much needed family day. It seemed like every time we actually got to see her, it was on bad terms, so it was good to just be able to lounge around and laugh with our daughter for a day. It felt good. We actually felt like a family.


	42. I'm not jealous, I'm jealous!

**A/N: Alright guys… I know it's been awhile since this story has been touched, but I'm starting it up again. I've been busy with other projects and working on school stuff, and I've been swamped. I'm sorry I've neglected this, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of it. I hope I didn't lose anyone with the *taps watch* million years it took me to write another chapter. Hope you like it. **

**VIKTORIA'S POV:**

I woke up the next morning late. It had to have been at least midnight. I woke up, and showered, still kind of reeling over everything that had happened last night. Adrian had called me beautiful, amazing, asked me to be his guardian, and kissed me all in the same night. I smiled at the thought of our kiss. It was sweet, something I've never experienced before. All the guys I'd been with at home, just wanted to stick their tongues down my throat. I shuddered at remembering my last relationship with Roland. I did my hair, make-up, and got dressed. As I walked out my door, Adrian was coming down the hallway. I smiled up at him.

"Goodmorning sunshine."

"Goodmorning." I said.

"How are you this morning?" He asked.

"My neck is still a little sore, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'll live."

"Lets hope so." Adrian said. I grinned.

"Do you know if Rose is up?"

"No. I'm not sure. I'm thinking not. They probably had their family bonding time, and stayed up late." He said. I nodded.

"Yeah, your probably right." I told him.

"I usually am." He said, giving me his signature smirk. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You want to go to the café, and get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure." I said. He smiled, and nodded as we started walking. A comfortable silence fell between the two of us as we walked. We got to the café and both ordered coffee, sitting down at a booth on the empty side of the café. He looked up at me and smiled.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked, randomly.

"Blue.. Why?"

"You said I didn't know you, so.. This is how I will get to know you." He said. I chuckled, and shook my head at him.

"Silly boy."

"And you love it." He said, smirking at me.

"It's true. I do." I said. He grinned. We sat and chatted for awhile, asking questions about one another, before things got sort of serious.

"Your reputation… is it true what everyone else says about you?" I asked. He looked down at his hands.

"It depends… are you talking about the reputation I have for sleeping around, and getting drunk all the time?" He asked me. I nodded.

"It used to be. I was like that for a long time, before I met Rose, and had to help her with Bailey." He said.

"You love her… Rose, I mean." He looked down at his hands again. I could tell this was a question he didn't feel comfortable answering. "If you don't want to answer, I understand."

"No.. It's fine. I do love Rose. A part of me always will. We've been through so much together. I know she loves you brother though, and that's something I've always hated… but I learned to live with it." He told me. I smiled, and nodded. He was trying to be honest with me, but not wanting to go into too much detail. I knew he'd always been in love with Rose. I'd seen the things he'd done for her, the things he was willing to sacrifice for her. We sat and talked for a little while longer, before Rose came into the café.

"Speak of the devil." Adrian said, smiling up at her. She walked over and sat down beside me.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm good. Neck is sore, but I'll live, no doubt."

"Glad to hear it. How are you feeling Adrian?" She asked him, looking up to meet his gaze. He smiled at her.

"I'm good. Still tired, but I'll be fine. Just got to get my strength back." He said. "How are you doing?" I couldn't help but notice the scratches and bruises that littered Rose's gorgeous face. They made her look like warrior, but none the less, they looked painful.

"I'm fine. A little beaten and battered, but I'm used to it." She said. I nodded.

"Your so strong… I don't know how you do it."

"I haven't gotten my neck snapped yet, which is something neither of you can say." She said, smiling. Adrian and I both nodded.

"Your not missing out on much." Adrian said. She nodded.

"I would imagine not." I smiled at her.

"So… How's the whole, newly bonded thing coming along?"

"It's coming." Adrian told her, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I couldn't deny the love, and respect I saw in his eyes when he looked at Rose, but I was starting to notice now, he held the same sort of gaze when he looked at me.

"We're working on it." I told her. She nodded.

"That's good. I'm glad you guys are okay with all of this."

"Yeah, it's not as bad as I thought. Plus, I got a guardian out of it." He said, turning to me. Rose turned to me.

"Your… you're his guardian?"' She asked. I nodded.

"He wants me to be, and I kind of agreed to it, so… yeah." I told her. When she looked at me this time, there was something different in her eyes, something I really couldn't decipher.

"That's awesome. Congrats Viktoria." She said. Somehow, she didn't look as excited as she sounded.

"I've got to go. I was just coming to check on you guys. I'll see you around." She said. I nodded.

"Thanks Rose, see ya later." I told her, before she got up.

"Bye Little Dhampir." Adrian said, watching her as she walked out. I sighed, as I watched the longing fade from his eyes as he turned back to me.

**ROSE'S POV**

I wasn't sure what my problem was. The moment the words left her mouth, jealousy rolled through me. I was the one that was supposed to protect Adrian. I was the one who had risked everything to save him, time and time again. He was my charge. I shook my head. _No Rose, Lissa is your charge. _I didn't understand why I reacted this way, but I was extremely jealous. I wanted to be the one to protect him. I also knew he saw her with new eyes now that they were bonded. Adrian and I had always clicked… We had always been connected on a much deeper level, but now… Viktoria and him now had the same thing. I shook my head as I walked back to our room. I wasn't sure why I'd reacted this way, but I was careful to hide it when I walked back inside. Dimitri had Bailey on his lap, both smiling at laughing. They both turned and smiled at me.

"How are they?" He asked.

"They're good. They were both down at the café." I answered. Bailey furrowed her eyebrows at me.

"Something's wrong." She said. I could tell she was trying to search my head. I blocked her out, knowing she'd find what I'd been thinking before I got here. She narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you blocking?" She asked.

"Because you need to stay out of my head." I said, running and sweeping her up off Dimitri's lap. I knew he'd ask about it later, so I let it go for now, knowing I'd have to deal with it then. She giggled.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you for yesterday?" I asked. She nodded.

"You have… but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm so proud of you. You saved three lives." I told her. She smiled, and waved her hands dismissively.

"Awe, shucks." She said. I laughed.

"You're a ham."

"I know. You made me this way." She said, pointing at me. I rolled my eyes.

"No… that'd be your fathers doing." I said, motioning over my shoulder. Before I knew it, Dimitri came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, and chuckling.

"Really?" He asked.

"Bailey… a little help." I said. She smiled.

"You asked for that."

"Bailey." I exclaimed. She giggled. Before I knew it, Dimitri took me to the ground, pinning me. I growled up at him. "You cheat." He shrugged.

"It happens." He said, before kissing me.

"Ick… get a room." Bailey said.

"We have one… but we can't use it until your gone." I said, winking at her.

"Rose." Dimitri chastised me. I laughed.

"Oh, you know I was kidding." I said. He shook his head at me.

"You are something else." He said, getting up, and extending a hand. This was my chance. When I grabbed his hand, I pretended to pull myself up, but I threw all my weight back towards the ground, taking him down, and throwing myself on top of him.

"You should have known." I said, staring down into his chocolate brown eyes. He smiled and shook his head.

"You'd think I'd have learned."

"Apparently not." I muttered. He smiled. I got up, and helped him up, making sure to plant my feet. Bailey giggled. She walked over to me, and grabbed my hand.

"I'm going to miss you guys when I go back to school."

"We're going to miss you too. Trust me." I told her, patting her head. She smiled and hugged me.

"So, you meet any cute guys at school?" I asked. I watched as she glanced up at Dimitri out of the corner of her eye. He growled at me.

"What? Don't look at me like that." I said, jumping up onto the bar, and sitting.

"I don't wanna hear about this."

"Then don't listen, smart one." I snapped at him, smiling.

"There's one boy…" She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Name?"

"Daniel." She said. I grinned.

"Is he cute?"

"Duh." Bailey said.

"Oh… I forgot, your high maintenance." I said.

"That's a plus." Dimitri muttered.

"To bad I wasn't like that." I said. His head snapped up, and he narrowed his eyes at me. I laughed so hard I thought I might cry.

"Totally kidding Belikov. Calm down… Don't get your panties in a bunch." I said. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Sometimes… I wonder why I married you." He said. My jaw almost hit the floor. He then started laughing so hard, he almost toppled over. "I'm kidding, Roza. Don't get your thong in a bunch." He said, winking at me. I growled.

"Sometimes… I kind of want to kick you in the throat."

"Sometimes… I wish you would stop talking." He said, smiling.

"I give up. I'll never win." I muttered. Bailey giggled.

"You can't ever win with a Belikov."

"I know. I've been around enough of them." I said, grinning. Dimitri rolled his eyes. We then cuddled up on the couch until Bailey fell asleep. I carried her into her room, and tucked her in, before going back to join Dimitri on the couch. I cuddled myself into the shape of his body, and sighed.

"It feels good to be home."

"What you should be saying is 'It feels good to be alive.'." He said. I smiled.

"That too." He nodded.

"What was up with you when you came in earlier. You looked like you had something on your mind." He said. I sighed.

"Adrian has a guardian now." I murmured. He gave me a look. I think it was then that he understood.

"My sister?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"And your jealous." He said. He wasn't asking. He was stating it.

"I'm not necessarily jealous." I said.

"Then what are you?" I hesitated, trying to think of a word. The only one that came to mind was _jealous. _

"Alright, I'm kinda jealous. I guess it's just that… I was so used to protecting him, and being there for him… It feels like I'm being replaced." I said.

"She's not going to take your best friend from you, Rose." I could tell talking about this made him uncomfortable, seeing as how just a few days ago he'd wanted to kill him. I understood that much.

"I know… It's just a phase. I know she'll take care of him as well as I would, but it bothers me a little. I'll live, I know. It's dumb to be like this…" I said. He shrugged.

"I guess I understand. You felt the same way when someone else started guarding Lissa." I nodded.

"I did."

"It's natural. I get it." He said. I sighed, and laid my head against his chest.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good now." He whispered into my hair.

"I'm glad." I said. I yawned.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, laying his hand over my stomach.

"I'm fine. All the scratches and bruises will eventually go away, and I'll be back to normal." I told him.

"I know… they make you look hott though. Kinda makes you look like some bad ass gang chick." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Only you, Comrade. Only you." I told him. He grinned and pulled me closer.

"I love you, Roza."

"I love you too." I murmured, before closing my eyes and allowing myself to take a quick nap.


	43. Those Were The Days!

When I woke up, Dimitri's beautiful sleeping face was before me. I looked towards the window to see it was daylight. I'd slept the rest of the day away… awesome. I heard a noise, and looked towards the bar to see Bailey there, coloring in a coloring book. She smiled over at me when she realized I was awake.

"Hey there, sleepy head."

"Hi." I whispered, trying not to wake Dimitri. I maneuvered myself out of his arms, and got up. I walked over to her, and hugged her.

"We should actually all be asleep right now."

"It'll be okay. My hours will just be off a little." She said. I nodded.

"All of our hours will be." She continued coloring.

"How are you doing? I've asked everyone that except you." I told her. She grinned.

"I'm great. It feels good to be home… even though I know I have to go back soon."

"Yeah, you do. You know any time you want any of us to come visit, all you have to do is call. Adrian, me, daddy, anyone, we'll drop what we're doing to come see you hun." I told her. She nodded.

"I know. I don't want to keep you guys running back and forth all the time. If I had it my way, you'd live on campus with me."

"I wish we could baby. I really do." I told her. She smiled.

"You want to go to the pool?" I asked, smiling. She grinned, and nodded.

"Yes." I held my finger to my lips, and motioned to Dimitri, as we snuck around the couch and into her room. I helped her into a swim suit, and gave her a cover up to wear down, and then we snuck into my room, so I could change too. We grabbed towels, and snuck out, leaving Dimitri sleeping on the couch. We walked down to the pool, and ran in once we realized there wasn't anyone there. I stripped the dress, and dove in with Bailey following. I smiled, and grabbed her, throwing her back into the water. We swam to the shallow end, and sat on the stairs.

"Remember when you were little, and we used to come down here all the time, and swim?" I asked. She nodded.

"Remember the time I almost drown in here." I grimaced and nodded.

"You scared the hell out of me that day. That was the first day we realized we were bonded though." I said. She smiled.

"It came in handy a few days ago."

"I know. Even though it's a bit of an inconvenience now." I said, poking her. She jumped on me, tackling me into the water. When we came back up, we were both laughing.

"Bonding time?" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Adrian walking in. I smiled.

"Yeah, a little. Dimitri was sleeping, so I figured me and her would get out and let him rest."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? Oh mighty savior?" He asked, grinning. I rolled my eyes at him. Bailey growled.

"She wasn't the only one that saved you. I helped." She said.

"I know you did. I haven't got to thank you for it either, so thank you, Bailey."

"You're welcome." He said, diving back into the water. I got out, and went over to get my towel. I could feel that his eyes weren't on my face anymore. When I turned back around, I knew for a fact they weren't. I wrapped my towel around me, and walked over to him. It was then that something occurred to me. His guardian wasn't with him.

"Where's Viktoria?" I asked, bitterly.

"I sent her home to take a nap. I told her I could manage to handle myself for that long, even though I should be in bed too." He said.

"Why aren't you?" I asked.

"I have a feeling I couldn't sleep if I wanted to." He said. I just nodded.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said.

"You don't look fine." I told him. He growled.

"Thanks Little Dhampir. I love you too." He said. I pushed him gently.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Aunt Viktoria is Uncle Adrian's guardian?" Bailey asked. I knew she hadn't heard us talking, so I blocked her out of my head, making sure she couldn't find anything more than that.

"Yes, she is."

"That's really cool. Congrats Adrian. Aunt Viktoria is amazing." Bailey told him.

"I know." He said, smiling at her. My jealousy flared up as he spoke the words. I had something seriously wrong with me. I was getting jealous when he wasn't even my charge. _Jeez, I've got to get it together_.

"How are you doing?" He asked, motioning towards my stomach. I opened my towel, to reveal the bruise that was once again dark blue and black. He winced, and let his fingers trace over it lightly. I felt the magic through the touch, and watched as some of the dark color faded from it. He smiled when he met my eyes.

"Thank you." I murmured. He nodded.

"It's the least I could do… I mean, after all that you've done for me." He said. It was then that I realized, regardless of my jealous feelings towards Viktoria about her being his guardian… I knew he'd never stop feeling the way he felt about me. A part of him would always love me, and he would always be my best friend.

"I don't know if I've actually told you this or not… but I'm glad you're okay." I said. He smiled

"I wouldn't be without you..." He said. "And Bailey." He mended quickly, smiling at her.

"And Viktoria." I said, I wondered if he heard the bitter edge to my voice. I know I did. He looked like he heard it too, but disregarded it. I smiled as our eyes met.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, kid." I said.

"Kid? I'm older than you, little dhampir."

"Doesn't matter. I'm more mature." I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He said. I laughed. I looked up at the clock in the room.

"Bailey, we should probably go… Daddy's probably up by now." She groaned.

"Jump in with me, one more time?" She asked, getting out.

"One more time, and that's it." I said. I threw my towel onto the rail, and followed her. I could feel Adrian's eyes on my back, although… I was positive it wasn't my back they were on. I smiled at her, when we reached the deep end.

"You ready?" I asked, she nodded. She counted, and we both swan dived into the water. When we came up, we both jumped out, and grinned. I hugged her and chuckled, before walking over to grab my towel.

"Beautiful dive, Hathaway." He said. I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure my dive was what you were watching." I said, elbowing him. I watched as his face turned a little pink. I grabbed my dress, and slipped it back on, as Bailey, Adrian, and I headed back across court. When we reached our room, Adrian hugged me.

"I'll see you around." I nodded, and walked inside. Dimitri was sitting at the counter, cup of coffee in hand.

"Good-morning sunshine." I said, shutting the door behind me. He smiled.

"Morning. I was wondering where you two ran off too." He said, coming over and kissing me. I smiled.

"I took her down to the pool. We used to go there all the time when she was younger."

"Adrian was with you?" He asked, I saw something kindling in his eyes.

"Yeah, he walked us here."

"Viktoria too?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No. He sent her home to take a nap." I told him. He nodded. I could still tell he wasn't comfortable with me around Adrian. I knew he wouldn't ever tell me that though. I went into the bedroom, and changed, and came back out. Bailey smiled at me, as she snuggled up on the couch.

"Thank you for going to the pool momma. I had fun."

"You're welcome baby." I told her, walking over and kissing her forehead. I walked over, and sat down at the bar with Dimitri. He leaned over, and laid his head on my shoulder.

"Were you worried when you woke up and found me gone?"

"A little. It seems like every time you leave, you get captured by strigoi. I think I'm going to just keep you locked up in here." He said. I smiled.

"If they wanted me, they'd find me. I don't regret being captured. I'm the reason Liss and Adrian are safe." I said.

"And me." Bailey said, sleepily over the couch. I grinned.

"Yes, and you." I said, smiling. She beamed at me, and snuggled back into her corner of the couch.

"I regret it, because I almost lost you."

"You should know I don't go down without a fight." I said.

"That's what I'm afraid of." He admitted. "Bailey told me that you were thinking of all kinds of plans to get them out, but not yourself."

"If I would have had to sacrifice myself to save them… I would have. I knew you were coming though… So there was no need." I said. He nodded.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd have lost you." He murmured.

"You say that every time."

"And I mean it every time." He told me. I grinned, and yawned.

"I think it's time to go back to bed."

"It's twenty minutes till sundown." He said.

"Oh well. I'll just sleep the day away a little bit." I said. He smiled, and nodded.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep." He said, taking my hand, and escorting me into our bedroom. We curled up in bed, and slowly fell asleep. It wasn't long until I felt Adrian push his way into my dreams. I smiled.

"Hello again, Ivashkov."

"Hello Little Dhampir." He said, grinning.

"I remember the first time you called me that, when I first met you."

"The ski lodge." He said. I nodded. "Good times. I miss those days."

"Sometimes… I do to." I admitted. He looked down, and the back up at me.

"How's your necklace working out for you?" He asked, motioning to the blue pendant around my neck.

"It's good, still keeping me in line. I haven't even asked you… how are you doing with the Darkness?" He shrugged.

"I hardly feel it anymore. Especially after Viktoria and I bonded." Jealousy streamed through me again. I think since it was a dream he brought me into, he noticed it a little bit more.

"Rose… what's wrong?"

"Nothing… I've just got a lot on my mind. Bailey's going back to school soon, Dimitri and me getting things back to the way they were, just a bunch of stuff." I told him. "I'm fine though."

"Are you sure? Every time you around me, it's like something wrong. Rose, you can tell me anything." He said. Could I honestly tell him I was jealous because someone else was protecting him, that someone else had sworn their life to him? No… I couldn't. I wouldn't.

"I'm fine… Honestly." I said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Little Dhampir."

"Adrian, I'm serious… I'm fine. I promise. Would I lie to you?" I asked.

"When it comes to your well being, yes." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine." I lied again. He sighed.

"I'm not going to force it out of you. If you want me to know… you'll tell me." He said. I nodded. I felt bad for not telling him, but how could I? After everything we'd already been through, that was the last thing I needed. He nodded.

"By the way… Your stuff is still at my place."

"I know. I was actually coming to get it… before we were captured."

"Oh… that sucks." He said. I nodded.

"Ya think?" I muttered. He smiled. "I'll be by to get it in the morning."

"Alright… I'll be here." He said.

"Goodnight Adrian."

"Goodnight Little Dhampir." He said, before the dream world faded around us. I snuggled closer to Dimitri and fell asleep.


	44. Walking Out!

I woke the next morning to find Dimitri, lying full dressed next to me, with his arms around me.

"Good morning." I murmured, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Morning love."

"Why are you fully dressed?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Would you like me to take my clothes off?" He asked, smirking at me. I brought his mouth to mine, and kissed him.

"I definitely wouldn't mind." I whispered seductively against his mouth. He smiled.

"Bailey's awake." He said, motioning towards the door. I sighed.

"Of course she is." I muttered. For the first time ever, I wished Bailey was back at school. He grinned. "I have to go get my things from Adrian's. He reminded me last night that my bag was still there."

"I'll go get it… You just stay here." He said. I shook my head.

"Okay, first off… I'm not stupid. Second of all… no. Third of all, I won't be gone long, and that'll give you and Bailey some time to bond before she has to go back." I told him. He growled.

"You don't play fair."

"I told you, you can't keep me locked up here."

"Wanna bet?" He asked, smiling. I rolled my eyes. I rolled out of bed, and grabbed a change of clothes, getting a quick shower, before getting ready to go to Adrian's. I hugged and kissed both Bailey and Dimitri before heading out. When I got there, Viktoria was walking out of his room. A surge of jealousy ran through me again. _Damn her. _She smiled.

"Hey Rose, how are you?"

"I'm good. What about you?" I asked. I didn't really care.

"I'm good. Just stopping by to check on Adrian." I nodded. _Of course. _

"Taking your job seriously. I like it." I said, trying to keep my voice light.

"Yes ma'am. I've got to go. I'll see you around, Rose."

"Alright." I said. I glared at her, as she walked away. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, before walking inside. Adrian was just coming out of his room. He smiled.

"Goodmorning Little Dhampir."

"Morning." I said, voice hard. He raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Fine." I said. I was hoping I'd be able to keep myself in check while I was here, and not seem like I was in such a bad mood, but I couldn't help it.

"Rose… Something's been wrong with you, and you're not telling me, and it's kind of pissing me off."

"I don't know what to tell you, because I'm fine. Where's my bag?"

"It's in my room. A lot of people have come in and out of here, and I didn't want anyone getting into it." He said. He walked back to his bedroom, and inside. I followed him, but as I walked in the door, he attacked me, pressing me up against the wall beside it.

"Rose, I want to know what's wrong with you. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

"You can't help me." I growled. He'd never taken this approach to get something out of me before. It was different. It so wasn't Adrian. His face was so close to mine though. All of the sudden, I felt like I was drunk again, that night we kissed when Dimitri and I were fighting. I was careful not to let myself remember, in fear it might happen again.

"Adrian, get off me."

"Tell me what's wrong with you." He demanded.

"Adrian, please." I said, meeting his emerald green gaze.

"What. Is. Wrong?" He said, each word separate and distinct. I pushed him now, not in the mood to play games. He stumbled back, but caught himself.

"I'm fucking jealous, alright. I don't want you to have a guardian, okay? Are you happy now?" I yelled. He met my gaze.

"Wh- What?" He stuttered.

"I don't want you to have a guardian. Protecting you was supposed to be my job, and now someone's taken my place."

"You're jealous… of Viktoria?" He asked. I nodded, sighed in defeat.

"I am."

"I don't understand… You said you couldn't be my—." I cut him off.

"I know what I said. I know, but I told you regardless of me turning you down, I'd always be here to protect you, and now… someone's replaced me. I don't like not being the one to protect you. I don't like thinking of anyone else protecting you other than me." I said.

"I never would have thought-." I cut him off, when I picked up my bag, and walked out.

"Rose, wait… We have to talk about this."

"No… We don't. She's your guardian now, and there's nothing I can do." I said.

"I'll tell her I don't want a guardian anymore."

"Don't." I said, as I started for the door.

"But if having her means I lose you-." He started.

"Just know, if something happens… and she's not there to protect you… She'll have to answer to me." I told him.

"Rose, she'll never replace you. You know that as well as anyone. I love you, and no one will ever replace you… ever."

"Let's hope you really mean that." I murmured.

"I do. I mean it more than anything. She's great… but she's not you, Rose. She'll never be you. You'd give up your life for me."

"But she already did." I reminded him.

"Rose, I pro-." I cut him off.

"Don't." I whispered. He walked over to me, and lifted my chin to meet his gaze.

"I promise… No one will ever replace you. No one will ever steal my heart the way you did. I'm in love with you Rose, and even if you don't feel the same about me… that's never going to change."

"I do love you, Adrian." I whispered. He met my gaze, and I watched as so many things shot through it. "I have to go."

"No… We have to talk about this. Why do you always run from me when things get serious between us?"

"Because I shouldn't love you… Adrian. I'm married."

"It's possible to love two people at—." I cut him off.

"Don't give me your inspirational bullshit now. Christian's already fed it to me."

"Rose, it's not-." I cut him off again.

"I'm not supposed to love two people. I'm married. I love Dimitri, and I love him so much, but after everything we've been through… I don't understand how I wasn't supposed to love you. I'd give up anything for you, just like I would for Dimitri, or Bailey. I'm not supposed to feel like this." I watched as so many emotions fled through his eyes. This was the first time I'd ever admitted anything like this to him… sober.

"Rose… I—."

"I have to go. I can't do this."

"Rose, please…" He started.

"No… I can't do this. I'm Dimitri's, and I can't keep doing this with you. It's better if… we're just not around each other anymore."

"Rose… don't do this. Please."

"I'm sorry. I can't." I said. He took my hand in his, and pulled my chin up to meet my gaze.

"Don't do this to me." He whispered. I shook my head, as a few tears leaked down my face.

"I'm sorry." I started to turn, but I couldn't do it just yet. Before my hand slipped from his, I turned and pulled his mouth roughly to his, kissing him hard. When I released him, I met his gaze. "Good-bye, Adrian."

"Rose—." I cut him off by letting his hand slip from mine, and opening the door, walking out and closing it behind me. I didn't know where I was going when I left, but I knew I couldn't go home… not yet.

**ADRIAN'S POV**

I wasn't expecting anything like this from her… ever. The moment her lips were off mine, she met my gaze.

"Good-bye, Adrian." She whispered.

"Rose—." I started, but she allowed her hand to slip from mine, and opened the door, walking out of my room, and out of my life. I stood there, staring at the door, hoping and praying she'd coming running back inside and into my arms. Rose had told me she loved me a million times, but this was the first time she'd ever admitted to really loving me. It was the first time she'd ever admitted it, and then she walked out on me. I didn't know what to do. I stood there for awhile, staring at the door, before I started pacing. What was I supposed to do? She told me she loved me, kissed me, and disappeared. The thought of the kiss we shared made me reach up and touch my lips. I could still practically taste her. I didn't know what to do. My brain was spinning in a hundred different directions, and I wasn't sure how to sort through it all. She loved me. After all this time, of fighting it, the truth comes out. She really did love me. I felt tears well to my eyes. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now. The woman I loved more than anything in the world just told me she loved me, and walked out on me. How was I supposed to deal with that? It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I called, quickly wiping the few tears that escaped off my face.

"Viktoria." She said, voice soft. I thought about telling her to go away, but knew I couldn't.

"Come in." I said. She opened the door, and stepped in, closing it behind her. She met my gaze, and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I answered quickly.

"Adrian, we're bonded, and I can feel what you're feeling." _Damn it. _I'd forgotten all about that part. _Shit. _I couldn't tell her that her brother's wife just admitted to loving me. I didn't want things going batshit crazy like they'd just been between Dimitri and Rose. As much as I envied him, I wouldn't wish that on him. I knew what it was like to live without her.

"Nothing… I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Adrian..." She warned.

"Viktoria…" I groaned. "I'm fine. I promise."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, don't believe me. That's not my problem." I snapped. I felt bad for snapping at her, but this definitely wasn't a good time. I walked over to the bar, and poured me a glass of vodka, and gulped it down, and poured another. She walked over to me, and grabbed my arm before I could down the second one.

"Stop."

"Why?" I demanded.

"This isn't you." She said.

"You're wrong. It is me. I'm an alcoholic. This is what I do. When things get tough, I pour another. This is the side of me you haven't ever seen. Well, here I am." I said, yanking the arm she had out of her hand, and downing the second one.

"Adrian, I want to help you."

"There's nothing you can do for me, Viktoria." I snapped at her. She looked like she wanted to recoil at my tone, but she didn't she stood before me, and frowned.

"Adrian—." I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"Just go."

"I'm your guardian… I have to-." I growled.

"Viktoria, I'm not in danger. I'm fine. Please, get out." I said. She sighed, and turned, heading out. I sighed, and turned, punching the wall.

"Dammit." I said. I ran my hands through my hair. Why was it, when everything seemed to be going so great, it all came crashing down on me. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now. I wanted to go to Rose, I wanted to hold her, and comfort her, but I knew it wasn't a good idea. I grabbed my bottle of Vodka, and took it to the couch, putting my feet up, I poured myself another. It was going to be a long night.


	45. No Denying!

I waited a while before going home. I had to make sure I was able to keep a straight face, and not show anything I was feeling before I went home. Dimitri had always been able to read me like a book, and obviously Bailey would search my head, and give me away. I made sure to put up a block to keep Bailey out. If she had seen or heard anything, she wouldn't see anymore. I headed home, very hesitantly. When I walked in, Dimitri and Bailey looked up from their game of Monopoly.

"I was wondering where you got lost." Dimitri said. Bailey met my gaze and smiled. It made me wonder if she really had seen anything.

"Sorry it took me so long. Adrian and I just got to talking, and you know how he is once you get him started." I said. He nodded. I sat down on the couch, and watched them as they continued on with their game.

"Who's winning?"

"Her, obviously. Doesn't she always?" He said. I smiled. I was trying to keep up the pretense, and it was working for awhile… until Bailey yawned, and sighed.

"I don't wanna play anymore. I wanna go to bed. So, I forfeit. You win."

"Yes, I won… in your face." He said, poking her. She growled.

"Whatever. You only won cause I wanna go to sleep."

"Hey… hey. Let's hold it down here." I said, smiling. They both laughed.

"We'll finish this tomorrow." She said.

"We will, and I will win."

"Wrong." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"Just give me a hug and go to bed." He said. She jumped on him, taking him to the floor. He chuckled.

"One day, I'm going to be able to take you down, just like mommy does."

"I believe it." I said. He nodded.

"Me too."

"Just don't get into as much trouble as mommy did. It's not good for you."

"Hey… I didn't get into that much trouble." I exclaimed.

"Bull. You were nothing but trouble. Do you not remember who had to come get the runaways?" He said. I growled.

"We're not supposed to speak of that." I said, grinning. He chuckled.

"Mommy, why'd you run away?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time, okay?" I said. I could feel her trying to get into my head, but I put up the wall, keeping her out.

"You're blocking." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"I said I'd tell you later. That doesn't give you a right to probe." I told her. She rolled her eyes at me. Dimitri looked at her and back at me and shook his head.

"God, she looked just like you when she did that."

"It happens." I said. It was a lot easier to keep up the pretense, when everyone was in such a good mood. It would be harder when Dimitri and I were alone. She yawned again.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning." She said. She hugged Dimitri, and walked over to me, hugging me and kissing my cheek.

"Goodnight mommy." She knew something, and I could tell. She went into her bedroom, and closed the door behind her.

"How is Adrian?" He asked. Automatically, my body tensed.

"He's good. Your sister is taking good care of him."

"I'm glad. He needs someone to take care of him." He said. He didn't have to finish the sentence for me to know what he wanted to say. _Someone needs to take care of him… besides you. _I wasn't an idiot, and I could read Dimitri well. I wasn't going to add, that I wanted that person to always be me.

"Yeah, I know he does." I murmured.

"I know your still kind of upset about-." I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"I'm not. Your right, your sister will take good care of him. He doesn't need me anymore." I whispered.

"Rose… You know Viktoria will never-." I nodded.

"Replace me, yeah… I know. I got it. Can we not talk about this anymore, please?" I said. He nodded.

"I'm sorry." He said. Guilt was coursing through my veins. I felt horrible for everything that had happened, the things I'd done. If only Dimitri knew, I kept thinking. A part of me wanted to tell him, but I knew I couldn't live without him. I didn't want to go through the things we'd just went through again. I knew if things went down again, he would really leave, and he wouldn't come back. I couldn't take that chance. Regardless of my feelings for Adrian, it would always be Dimitri. I yawned.

"Are you ready for bed?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No… I'm fine." I knew if I fell asleep, Adrian would be in my dreams, and right now, I was in no condition to see him, talk to him. If I had to stay awake for a day or two, I would.

"Are you sure, you look tired." He said.

"I'm fine." I assured him. I got up off the couch, and walked over to the kitchen, pouring me a cup of coffee. I added a bit of sugar, and sat down, starting to sip on it. I didn't like black coffee, but it was all Dimitri drank, so I made do with it.

"Rose, is something wrong?"

"No… I'm fine. Why?" I asked. _Damn it. _

"You seem like there's something on your mind. Roza, if there's something you want to talk to me about, you know I'm here."

"I know that. I'm fine though, really." I said. He nodded once, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

"Is there a reason you don't want to go to sleep?"

"I've slept too much lately." I said. "It's all I ever do anymore."

"It seems to me more like you're trying to avoid something… or someone." He said. I knew what he was getting at.

"I'm not avoiding anyone."

"Did something happen at Adrian's, Roza?"

"No… It didn't." I said, way too quickly.

"Rose, I'm serious. If something happened, you need to tell me. As your husband, I have a right to know." I didn't look up from my cup. "Roza..." He said, becoming impatient. I finally looked up slowly to meet his gaze, intent on me.

"Is it bad to love two people at the same time?" I asked.

"Roza…" He started. I shook my head.

"I don't understand. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel something towards Adrian. I've always known it, but I've pushed out the feelings for him. I guess now that I've been replaced, their harder to ignore." I watched as Dimitri's face fell.

"Rose… if he's what you want—." I shook my head.

"No… that isn't what I'm saying. I love you. I want to be with you… but I can't deny that I have feelings for him."

"You told me that when you kissed him you didn't feel anything for him…" Dimitri said. I shook my head.

"No… When I said that, I meant it. I was so drunk; I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't kiss him because I had feelings for him. I promise. I was just… not thinking straight."

"Why haven't you said anything to me?"

"Because I knew who I wanted… I knew regardless of how I felt about him, it would always be you." I whispered. "I don't want him like I want you."

"Roza…" He whispered.

"Dimitri, don't. I don't want to talk about this now."

"Then when would you like to talk about it, because we can't not discuss this." He said. I sighed.

"Dimitri, I love you. I love you more than anything. I'd give up everything for you, and you know that. You are where my heart belongs. When you left though, you left me torn, and wounded, and Adrian was there to pick up the pieces. He was here for me and my lowest of lows, and he's always been. I guess when someone does so much for you; it's hard not to develop some kind of feelings for them." I explained. He flinched as I talked about him leaving.

"This is my fault… if I would have never left—." I shook my head.

"No… Don't you start with that. This isn't your fault."

"Roza…" He murmured. I felt tears well to my eyes, and I got up out of my chair, walking to the middle of the room, with my back turned to him. I couldn't stand to face him anymore, not after what I'd done.

"This is my fault. I can't help the way I feel, and I'm sorry, Dimitri. If I could change it, I would." I whispered. I could feel him walking towards me, but I wouldn't turn around. I could feel the tension between us build, with each step he took. I felt him stop right behind me, and heard him take in a deep breath. I felt him reach up, and move my hair from around my neck, to the other side of my face. He then lowered his head, and pressed a sensuous kiss to my collar bone. When he pulled his mouth away from my skin, he whispered "I love you, Roza. That's never going to change."

"Dimitri…" I murmured, as he placed his mouth back to my collar bone. I shuddered underneath of his lips. He grabbed my waist, and spun me around to face him, bringing my mouth abruptly to his. The kiss was hard, rough, a type of kiss we'd never really shared, but in this moment, it was everything I needed. He ran his hands down my body, and slipped them underneath my shirt. I then realized what he was doing. I pushed him away gently.

"We can't… Bailey's here." I said, my breathing ragged. God, he had no idea how hard it was for me to say no. He put a finger to my lips, and shook his head.

"Don't." He whispered, before bringing his mouth back to mine. I gave in; I mean… come on, what else was I supposed to do. He picked me up into his arms, never removing his mouth from mine, and carried me into the bedroom. The moment we were in the safety of our room, he shut the door, locking it behind him, with me still in his arms. He carried me over to the bed, and set me on my feet right beside it. He ran his hands underneath my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. I did the same with him tossing it to the floor, and allowing him to push me back on the bed. He crawled over top of me, and started from my mouth, down my jaw, my throat and down my chest; he ran his tongue between my cleavage, which caused my entire body to convulse under him. When he pulled away, and met my eyes, I could see lust had clouded them over. I reached up, and pulled his mouth back to mine, kissing him hard. He moaned against my lips as our tongue battled for dominance. He ran his hands down my back, and pulled me into a sitting position, straddling my lap. Never removing his lips from mine, he ran his hands slowly up my back, causing goosebumps to rise, and placed his hand under my bra hook, and flicked it with his finger, causing it to fall from around me. He pushed me to lie back once again, and smiled down at me. "Beautiful." He murmured, his Russian accent lacing his voice. I reached up, and laced my fingers through his dark hair. He slowly brought his lips back to mine, and kissed me softly, his lips like feathers brushing against mine. I ran my hands down his chest, and stopped at the button of his pants, working to undo it. When I finally got them unbuttoned and unzipped, I maneuvered them down his legs, with a little help from him, he kicked them off, and ran his hands down my bare torso, to the snap on my slacks. He undid them, and pulled them down my legs, and threw them off the side of the bed. I ran my hands down his body, resting them at his hips. I could feel his length growing, and pressing into my thigh. I loved knowing this was the effect I had on him. He slipped his fingers into my lace panties, maneuvering them down off my hips and down my legs. His finger brushed against my core, turning every nerve ending into a livewire. Once he threw those of the bed, I went to work on his boxers, pulling him down slowly, teasing a little. Once the clothes were off, he brought his lips back to mine, kissing me hard, once again. He pulled away, and met my gaze almost as if asking permission. I smiled and closed my eyes. That was answer enough. He slowly lowered himself into my depths, us becoming one once again. I held back the moan that threatened to escape, and dug my nails into his back. He pulled out slowly, and plunged back into me, going deeper than before. I whispered his name this time, causing him to shudder inside of me. That sent my body into a frenzy. I reached up, and buried my mouth into his collarbone to keep from crying out his name. He so very nearly pushed me over the edge. As he found a steady pace, I arched my back up, bucking my hips, pushing him deeper inside of me. For the first time tonight, my name fell from his lips, along with some other things in Russian. I didn't know what they meant, but I knew they were dirty. The sound of his voice all husky and full of lust made my body quake. As his pace quickened, I bit down into his collar bone, leaving a mark. It was all I could do to keep from screaming his name. He thrust into me one last time, and my body exploded into a fury of fire. My entire body arched upward, and he placed his mouth over mine, kissing me hard to keep me from moaning. His entire body convulsed while he was still inside me, making it ten times harder to contain the scream that wanted to leave my lips. He hovered over me, no doubt smiling. I couldn't even bare to open my eyes. The ecstasy coursing through my veins made it hard to comprehend anything else.

"Roza?" He whispered. I fluttered my eyes, and opened them, wondering what he saw there, because his smile grew.

"Yes?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice even. It didn't work. It came out more like a pant then anything.

"Thank you."

"For?" I asked, confused. It was also hard to have a conversation when he was still partly inside me. If only he knew what he actually did to me.

"For choosing me, for sticking with me through everything, for being mine." He whispered.

"There's no where I'd rather be than right here, with you… forever." I told him.

"You're sure?" He asked. I smiled at him. Surprising him, I bucked my hips upward, pushing him deeper inside of me. He practically lost it above me.

"Roza." He moaned, burying his face into my collar bone. I put a hand over his mouth, and giggled.

"Answer your question?" I panted.

"Yes." He said, through clenched teeth. I giggled.

"Good." I whispered. He pushed back into my depths, going as far as he could. I smiled as my back arched up into the shape of his body. It was going to be a very long night.


	46. Just Let It Go!

When it was all over, and nor Dimitri or my body could take anymore, we showered, dressed, and crawled back into bed. I cuddled up next to him, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He buried his face into my hair, and chuckled.

"I love you, Roza."

"I love you Comrade."

"You know, sometimes… I wish we could go back to St. Vladimirs, when we were first falling in love. I wouldn't take things for granted as much as I did." He said.

"Really? You took things for granted?" I asked. He nodded.

"I did."

"Like what?" I whispered. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I was so tired. He'd completely worn me out

"You." He murmured. I looked up at him. "I wish I wouldn't have. It wasn't until recently, that I realized how much I have with you, and how much I'd lose if I lost you."

"Dimitri… don't—." He smiled.

"I'm serious, Roza. You have no idea how lost I'd be without you to keep me in line." He said. I smiled, and laid my head against his chest.

"Goodnight Comrade." I whispered.

"Goodnight my beautiful Roza." He said. The moment I closed my eyes, and fell into unconsciousness, I regretted it. If only I would have been able to stay up a little bit longer. I heard the lapping of waves on a beach, and looked around to see I was alone.

"Adrian?" I called. There was nothing. I started walking down the beach, not knowing what else to do. I then heard a sigh from behind me, and turned to see Adrian sitting on the beach, staring off into the sun, knee's pulled up and his arms wrapped around them.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Florida, somewhere." He answered quietly. He then turned to look at me.

"We have to talk."

"No... We don't." I answered quickly.

"You can't tell me something like that, and walk out on me, Rose."

"I can… and I did. I have no choice." I said.

"What are you talking about, you have no choice. Of course you have a choice. It's your life." He said.

"I know it is, and this is my choice." I took a deep breath. "I can't… I can't be around you, when I know I love you, and Dimitri. The only way I can fix this is to cut you out of my life."

"You're walking out on me." He whispered, standing up.

"He's my husband."

"And I'm your best friend." He snapped at me.

"You were." I said. I watched as he recoiled like I'd struck him with a whip.

"Rose… Don't do this. I need you." He whispered.

"You have Viktoria now."

"No… She's not you. She'll never be you." He said, shaking his head violently.

"Adrian… we can't do this anymore… I can't keep denying the feelings I have when I'm around you, and I won't. The only way I'll be able to fully keep my marriage intact is to cut you out of my life."

"Little dhampir, please." He said. I shook my head.

"Please, don't call me that." I begged. He took a few steps forward, and I tried to step away, but it wouldn't work. I couldn't move. I knew it was some kind of weird dream trick he was using. "Adrian, please… don't."

"Rose, I can't live without you."

"You can… you have no choice." I told him.

"I won't let you go without a fight." He told me.

"Adrian, don't do this… just let me go."

"How can you ask me to do that? After all this time, I've tried to move on, not feel the way I do about you, and then you tell me you loved me all along, and now you just want me to let you go. I can't do that, Rose. It's not that easy." He said.

"You think you can't because you've never really tried. You've spent all this time holding onto what we had, and you can't do that. You have to let me go. I'm married."

"I love you, Rose. I'm in love with you… Whether we're ever together or not… I can't just let you walk out. I need you in my life, you don't understand." He said. I shook my head. He reached forward, and took my hands in his. I tried to pull away, but once again, I couldn't move. "You've changed me, made me into the person I am today."

"I know. I've done my job… You're good to go now." I said.

"No… It doesn't work that way."

"I don't care how it works. I can't do this with you anymore. I love you, and I can't have you in my life when Dimitri is where I belong. I'm sorry, Adrian. I'm sorry but I can't do this. You have to let me go." I said.

"I… I can't." He said, tears suddenly streaming down his face.

"Adrian… No. Don't do this, please." I said. I reached up with my hand, and wiped his tears away.

"Rose, you don't understand how much I love you." He whispered. He sounded like he was pleading.

"I do… but it doesn't change the fact that I'm Dimitri's and as long as you're in my life, I can never fully be his, because a part of me will always be yours. I can't do that to him." I begged.

"He left you. He abandoned you and your baby. He was gone, while I was here. I helped you, helped raise her into the beautiful girl she is today. You can't just abandon me."

"It's because of all that, that I love you. It's because of all that, that I can't be around you anymore… Please, just let it go." I whispered. I watched as his eyes traveled down my face to my lips and back up to meet my eyes.

"Adrian, no." I whispered.

"Rose, just… just please." He said. I watched as he leaned in closer. Guilt started coursing through my veins as he closed the distance between our lips. The moment his lips touched mine, tears began rolling down my face. I couldn't deny it though… I kissed back. The moment he comprehended that I was kissing back, he released me from my hold, allowing me to reach up, and knot my fingers into his hair. I finally forced myself to push away.

"Adrian… I can't. Stop, God dammit. I can't do this with you."

"Rose, I'm sorry… You don't know-." I cut him off.

"Send me back."

"Rose, don't-." He started.

"Send me back!" I yelled. I gasped, and sat straight up in my bed, tears streaming down my face. Dimitri jumped, and sat up to look at me.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head, and put my head in my hands, guilt, and pain coursing through my veins.

"Nothing…nothing." I whispered, trying to slow my breathing and stop the tears. It wasn't working. I got up, and shook my head.

"I just need a minute." I said, walking into the bathroom, and closing the door behind me. I stood there staring into the mirror. Guilt was visible in my eyes. I was a sorry excuse for a wife. It wasn't long before Dimitri opened the door, and walked in, wrapping his arms around me, gazing at me in the mirror.

"What'd he do, Roza?"

"Nothing… He just… It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it." I whispered. He met my eyes.

"Did he hurt you? You seemed pretty shaken up." I shook my head.

"No… I just… We'll talk about it tomorrow. I just want to sleep." I whispered. He nodded.

"Okay… come on." He whispered. He took my hand, and led me back to the bed. He pulled me onto his chest, and ran his hands through my hair.

"It's gonna be okay." He murmured. I nodded.

"I hope your right." I murmured. I lay on his chest, staring into his eyes, until he slowly closed them and drifted off to sleep. I was hesitant about closing my eyes; scared he'd pull me back into one of his dreams, and replay what had just happened all over again. Thankfully, when I finally allowed myself to close my eyes, my sleep was Adrian free.

**ADRIAN'S POV**

The moment she booted herself out of the dream, I was awake, and couldn't fall back asleep. How could I? All I could hear were her words replaying over, and over in my head. _Just let it go. _How could she ask me to do that? I loved her more than anything in this world, would give up everything for her, and she wanted me to move on, pretend nothing ever happened between us. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't be able to if I tried. I rolled out of bed, and got dressed; knowing that trying to sleep again would be useless. I walked out to my bar, grabbed my vodka and my glass and sat down on my couch, nursing away the pain.

**VIKTORIA'S POV**

I could feel his anguish, his pain through the bond. I wasn't sure what was causing him such pain, but I knew if I went to him, he wouldn't tell me anyway. He'd kick me out again, like he had before. He didn't realize how much that really hurt me. It didn't matter. He didn't care. He loved Rose, loved her more than anything in the world, and I knew nothing would ever changed that. Not our bond, not death, nothing. I was stupid to think it would. Rose held a piece of Adrian no one else did, as did Adrian with Rose. It was a piece of Rose not even my brother could hold. I sighed, and crawled into bed, knowing staying up and dwelling would do me no good. I'd just go check on him in the morning.

**A/N: Alright guys, I need some insight here. Roza is obviously torn. It's either her husband, who at one point walked out on her, leaving her pregnant, alone, and heartbroken, or her loyal, and faithful best friend, who's been there through her lowest of lows and highest of highs. You guys decided, as you well know… I write with you in mind. Would you like to see a change in events, and have Rose fall into Adrian's arms, or do you support Roza & Comrade forever. Let me know in the reviews. **


	47. Distractions!

**A/N: Woah, the response I got from the last chapter was crazy. I had at least a good 40 reviews and counting about who Rose should be with. That's amazing. Thank you guys for the feedback, I appreciate it.**

**ADRIAN'S POV**

I sat at the bar, bottle of vodka in one hand, glass in the other. This was where I'd been for the past seven hours, and it was where I planned to stay. What was the point anymore? The girl I loved more than anything in this entire world walked out on me. She told me she loved me, and ditched. I wondered if Dimitri knew. I wondered if he wanted to kill me again. No sooner than the thought ran through my mind, there was a knock at the door.

"No one's home." I slurred. I wasn't in any condition to get up and answer the door. This I knew.

"I'm coming in." A soft voice with a hint of a Russian accent said. _Viktoria_. The door opened, and she walked in. The moment she met my gaze, she frowned.

"You're drunk." She said.

"And you're Russian. Now that we're done stating the obvious, what can I help you with?" I asked. I was being flippant, and rude, and I knew she didn't deserve that.

"You're upset, and drunk. That isn't a good combination."

"No, Viktoria. Upset it an emotion specific to those who care." I told her. She smiled, and walked over to the bar, and stood on the other side of it, facing me.

"You care, Adrian. If you didn't, you wouldn't be nursing this bottle of extremely expensive Vodka." She told me. I sighed. She was right. "I wish I knew what was wrong, so I could help you."

"I've told you cupcake, you can't help me." I told her. She was trying so hard.

"I want to try. I know for sure I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"It's nothing. I'll be fine. Just, give me a little bit." I told her, trying to get her off my back.

"I know it's about Rose." She said. I flinched at her name.

"How?"

"Your feelings for her are really strong. They come through the bond clearer." She told me. I nodded. _Of course. _

"I love her… and she loves your brother." I whispered.

"She loves you too." She said. I looked up from my glass, and met her eyes.

"How do you know?"

"I can see the way she looks at you. I know what the two of you have been through together. I know she loves my brother but she loves you too." She told me. I sighed.

"She… she just wants me to let it go, and to move on. I… I can't do that. She doesn't know how much she means to me. I can't just pretend she wasn't ever a major part of my life."

"You can't hold onto her forever." She said, stepping closer to the bar, and closer to me.

"I… I know that, and I'm trying… but you don't get it." I said, pouring another drink. She snatched the bottle from me.

"This isn't trying, Adrian." She snapped.

"It's what I consider trying." I said. She sighed, and looked at the bottle in her hand. She put it to her lips, and took a huge swig of it, before setting it down on the bar. She didn't make a face or anything.

"You're driving me to drink, and I haven't even been your guardian for two full days." She said. Strangely, I hadn't been expecting her to do that. I found it sort of hot.

"I'm… I'm sorry." I said. She shrugged.

"Part of the job description." She told me, smiling slightly.

"I know I've got to get over it, but... I don't know where to start. I'm going to see her around all the time, it's not like I can just leave."

"You've got to learn not to let it bother you." She said.

"It's not that simple."

"It is that simple. You have no idea how many times I've had to do this." She told me. I sighed.

"I have an addictive personality. I can't let go of things easily."

"Start trying." She said. I shook my head, and stumbled out of my bar stool, and stood up. She walked over, and helped me, before I fell. She grabbed my shoulders, steadying me before I could fall over. I looked up, and met her eyes. I could see the serious concern she had for me, and could even feel it through the bond. I watched as her eyes traveled down my face to my lips, and back up to meet my gaze. I couldn't stop myself then. I leaned forward, crushing her lips to mine. She reached up, and knotted her fingers into my hair, clutching it in her fists. She pushed me back a few steps, putting my back up against the bar. I ran my hands down her arms, taking her hands in mine, intertwining our fingers. When she finally pulled away, she frowned.

"I'm… I'm so sorry." She whispered. I shook my head, and grabbed her before she could back away.

"Don't… Don't apologize. Please, don't leave." I begged her. "Make me forget her, please… Viktoria, be my distraction, make me not want her anymore." She gazed into my eyes, and then brought her mouth back to mine. I ran my hands through her hair, kissing her with everything I had. I took her hand, and led her to the couch, pushing her onto it gently. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, keeping me from leaving. I smiled against her mouth. She ran her hands underneath my shirt, pulling it off over my head. I made an agitated sound at the separation of our lips. I pressed my mouth back to hers, running my hands up her body, running my hands inside her shirt, reveling of the feel of her skin on mine. I pulled her shirt off, throwing it onto the floor. She sighed against my mouth as I pressed my body closer to hers. I moved my mouth from hers, trailing kisses down her neck, stopping at her throat. I heard a short intake of breath as she felt my fangs touch her skin. I pulled away, and met her gaze. She stared at me for a few moments before she nodded, and exposed her neck to me.

"Do it… bite me." She whispered.

"You're… You're sure?" My mouth was watering at the thought.

"I'm sure." She whispered. I pressed my lips to her neck again, before sinking my teeth into her soft flesh. She moaned and threw her head back. I didn't take much, and I knew a lot of endorphins from a moroi bite weren't good for young people anyway. When I pulled away, she frowned at me.

"What? Why'd you stop?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow, as I wiped her blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. She had grown up in a blood whore commune. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that she was used to it.

"I don't want to hurt you." I said. She met my gaze, but nodded once. I took her face, in my hands, and smiled. "Thank you." I whispered.

"I'm glad I could help." She murmured.

"Oh, I'm not nearly done with you yet." I said, before bringing her mouth to mine. She giggled, and in that moment… I forgot all about the pain I was in, the hurt I'd been feeling, in that moment, she made me forget my own name.

**ROSE'S POV**

I sat in the living room with Bailey on my lap.

"I think… I think it's time you go back to school tomorrow." I told her. Dimitri and I had talked about this, and decided she shouldn't get to comfortable here, before we have to send her back.

"I… I guess you're right. I should be going back soon." She said. I nodded.

"Why don't we hang out the rest of today, just me you and daddy? Then, we'll let you go talk to Lissa, and Christian too, to tell them good-bye and stuff." She nodded.

"But what about Uncle Adrian? I want to tell him bye too." She said. I took a deep breath, and nodded.

"I'll take you by there to say bye too…" I promised her. That was the last thing I wanted to do, but for her… I would do it. We hung out around the house for a bit, and then went down to the café to get dinner. Afterwards, we headed to the throne room, where Lissa and Christian were. Bailey bounded in, and bounced onto Christians lap. Bailey giggled.

"Hey Uncle Christian." She exclaimed.

"Jeez… Hey Bailey." He said. She smiled.

"How are you today?"

"I'm good." He told her, as we approached them. "What'd you do to her? She's not beating me up."

"She's being nice, because—." She cut me off.

"I'm going back to school, and I won't see you for awhile."

"Oh… Now I get it." He said. She then got up, and hugged Lissa, who when she stood up, was starting to show. I grinned.

"Someone's got a baby bump." I said. She blushed.

"Can you tell?"

"Definitely." I told her. She grinned. I walked over to her, and placed my hand on her stomach. "Surprisingly, the bump is the one thing I liked about pregnancy."

"The only time Rose will ever be fat." Christian said. I nodded.

"Yeah, cause I don't sit on my ass all the time, like you."

"Guys, behave." Dimitri warned. I grinned.

"Sorry, comrade." I told him. We hung out in the throne room with Liss and Christian for at least an hour or two, before Bailey said her good-byes and gave hugs.

"Behave, but show em' what you're made of."

"Show em' what momma taught you." Christian said. She nodded.

"I love you guys." Bailey told them.

"We love you." They said, before we left.

"Rose, are you sure?" Dimitri asked, as we walked towards the other side of court.

"You go home… and I'll be here all of twenty minutes tops. I promise."

"I don't think you should go alone… let me—."

"Dimitri… twenty minutes." I said. He nodded once.

"If you're not back-."

"You're coming after me… I got it." I said. "Come on Bae." I said, taking her hand. The closer we got, the harder my heart started pounding. I wasn't ready for this, and I knew that. I sighed. When we reached his door, I knocked… it wasn't a few minutes before he answered. I could see in his eyes, he'd been drinking. This wouldn't be good. Bailey wrapped her arms around his waist, as he stood before us.

"I came to say good-bye. I'm going back to school in the morning." She told him. He looked up at me, and I nodded once.

"I'll miss you Uncle Adrian."

"I'll miss you too Kiddo." He told her. He picked her up, and kissed her forehead. "Behave, and do good. Don't get into too much trouble."

"I won't." She promised, as he set her on her feet. He then looked back up at me.

"Thank you for letting her come and say good-bye." I nodded once.  
"Not a problem." I told him, keeping my answers clipped, and short. He patted her head once before I looked down at Bailey.

"Come on, let's go. I promised you're daddy we wouldn't be long." I told her. I looked up. "Good-bye Adrian." I wondered if he heard the double meaning in my words. By the look in his eyes, he did. When we got back to our room, Dimitri's eyes found mine.

"You okay?" He asked. I took a deep breath, and nodded.

"I will be." I whispered. He nodded.


	48. Home Is Where The Heart Is!

_I ran my fingers through his hair, clutching it in my hands as our lips moved in sync. God, he was beautiful. It wasn't natural how absolutely gorgeous he was. It wasn't fair to anyone else that he wanted me. I pulled his shirt off over his head, and threw it off the side of the bed, running my hands down his toned chest. He shuddered under my hands, as they slid off his body. He pulled me closer as our kisses deepened. I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, sending chills down my spine. He ran his hands under my shirt, pulling it over my head. He ran his soft hands down my body, causing me to shiver under his hands. He pushed me back on the bed, hovering over me, as he planted kisses down my throat, my jaw, and then back to my lips. I sighed under his mouth. God, I loved him. He meant so much to me. I didn't know where I'd be without him. He ran his hands down my body to the button on my shorts and unbuttoned them, pulling them down my legs and tossing them off the bed. He smiled down at me._

"_You're so beautiful." He murmured. I reached up, and brought his mouth back to mine. He ran his hand up my back, unhooking my bra. He pulled the lace fabric away from me, pressing sensuous kisses down my chest. I looked up into his green eyes._

"_I love you Adrian." I whispered. Adrian. _

The name was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on me. I sat straight up, brining myself right out of my own dream. I was breathing hard, and there was a think sheen of sweat on my face. _Adrian. _I'd been dreaming about being… intimate with Adrian. I shook my head, and rubbed my face, trying to calm myself down. What kind of wife was I? Dreaming about another man in bed. This wasn't even one of those forced dreams, where Adrian thrusts himself upon me using spirit, no. This was completely formed by my own mind. Automatically, I felt guilty. I looked over at Dimitri, to see him sleeping peacefully, a hint of a smile on his face. I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake him, and went into the bathroom. I turned on the cold water, and stripped, stepping into the shower. I let the cold water rinse the sweat from my dream off my body. I still couldn't believe I'd been dreaming about Adrian like that. I felt disgusted with myself. I wasn't really sure how much more of this I could take. When I got out, I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me, and heading out into the bedroom. I looked towards the bed to see Dimitri lying there, staring up at me.

"You're up early." He observed. I shrugged.

"I guess." I said, looking at the clock. It was early. Usually I was the last one to wake up in this house.

"You're nervous about taking Bailey back?"

"A little." I admitted.

"She'll be okay, just like before." He promised. I nodded. "Come here?" He said, motioning me with his finger.

"I need to get dressed."

"Will you just come here?" He groaned. I sighed, and walked over to the bed. He pulled my mouth down to his, kissing me sweetly. Guilt coursed through me immediately, but the feel of his lips on mine was enough to make me forget anything. When I pulled away, I smiled.

"I need to get dressed." I repeated. I turned to open my dresser, when he grabbed my waist from behind, pushing me up against the wall, and kissing me hard. He pressed his body right up against mine. When he pulled away, I was breathing hard.

"If you don't stop, we're not going to be going anywhere today." I told him. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Your right. I'm sorry." He said, before stepping away from me. I grabbed a change of clothes and got dressed, as he went into the bathroom. I was pulling on my white button up blouse for my uniform, when Dimitri came out, and smiled. He walked over to me, and started helping me button.

"I'm gonna miss her." He said.

"Me too. We've got to get her back though. We don't want her to miss too much."

"I know."

"I'll talk to Eddie, and Mia and see if they can't help her get caught up." I told him. He nodded.

"That'll be good." He said. I smiled. When he finished with my buttons, he helped me into my jacket. He smoothed it out, and smiled. "Have I ever told you how amazing you look in uniform?"

"I don't know, but if you have I wouldn't mind hearing it again." I said. He chuckled.

"You have no idea how sexy you look in your uniform. It's hard to let you leave with it on." He said. I giggled.

"Thank you." I said, rubbing my knuckles against my jacket. He smiled.

"I'm going to get dressed." He said, kissing my nose. I nodded. I walked out into the living room to see Bailey at the counter. She had her chin in her hands, looking at me.

"Hey baby."

"Hey momma." She said.

"You ready to go back to school?" She shrugged.

"As ready as it gets." She said. I smiled.

"I'm sorry, I don't want you to go back, but you know it's where you belong now." I told her. She nodded.

"I know. I've just gotten so used to being home."

"That's what I'm afraid of." I said. I walked over, and kissed her cheek. She sighed.

"Your right. I've got to go back sometime. I'm just gonna miss being home. I do miss all my friends, and Eddie and Mia too though." She told me. I nodded. Dimitri walked out and smiled.

"You ready to go back to school?" He asked her. She sighed, but nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She told us, hopping down from the stool. We grabbed a few things from her room, and we headed out. We boarded the plane, and got situated, before we took off. The plane ride was pretty quiet. Bailey would speak every once and a while, but I knew she wasn't happy about leaving all of us. When we finally made it to St. Vladimirs, Eddie was a guardian at the gate. Bailey bailed out of the SUV and grabbed him.

"I've missed you Eddie Bear." She said. He laughed.

"I've missed you too. The school was missing a Hathaway." He told her, trying to catch his balance. I chuckled, as me and Dimitri got out of the van.

"See, you missed it here a little more than you led on." I told her. She shrugged.

"Nah, just missed Eddie."

"Hey, what about me?" A voice asked. We all turned to see Mia walking towards us. Bailey ran and jumped into her arms.

"I've missed you too." She told her. Mia grinned.

"I know. I've missed you too." We walked up, and to the main office where Kirova, and Alberta stood.

"Good-morning ladies." I said.

"Hello Rose. I see you've brought back our replacement Hathaway." Alberta said. I smiled.

"She's better than I was. Doesn't get into as much trouble." I told her. She nodded.

"Very true. Bailey's an angel. She must have gotten that from her father."

"He wasn't really a saint while he was here, either. Just sayin'." I told her. He growled at me a little. He got the joke. I was glad Alberta didn't.

"Yes, but he was more behaved than you. I think everyone was." I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, sure. You just didn't pay close attention to some people. Most people were bad and didn't get caught. I was bad and would get caught cause it made me feel bad ass." I told her. She shook her head at me.

"We're glad to have you back, Bailey." She said.

"I'm glad to be back." Bailey told her, beaming. I sighed.  
"Well, let's get you back to your room, and settled in." I told her. She nodded and we took her to her room. When we walked in, she sighed.

"It's good to be home." She muttered. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I saw it on a movie, and I've always wanted to say it. Sorry." She said. I laughed.

"You are my kid. There's no denying it."

"That's right." She said. I rolled my eyes and laughed. We hung out for awhile, getting her settled back in. It was past curfew, and we knew we had to leave soon. I hugged her, and smiled.

"Home isn't going to be the same without you."

"I know. Try not to miss me too much." She said. I grinned.

"I'll try."

"And no more getting captured by strigoi. If I have to come home, I want it to be on good terms, not to save your life." She said.

"I've saved your life before. You owed me."

"You're my mom. You're supposed to save my life." She told me. I laughed.

"I love you, Bailey." I told her.

"Love you too mommy." Dimitri then hugged her. "I'll miss you daddy. Take care of mommy for me."

"I will." He promised her. He kissed her forehead, and smiled.

"Behave, and knock em' dead."

"You know I will. Gotta live up to the Hathaway-Belikov name." I nodded.

"That's right." I told her. We said our final good-byes and headed for the van. The ride to the airport was silent. When we got on the plane, I leaned my head over onto Dimitri's shoulder.

"How you holding up?" He asked. I smiled.

"I'm good." I promised.

"Good. I'm glad you're better."

"Me too." I told him. When we got home, Lissa was waiting for us.

"How'd it go?" She asked, when we got off the plane.

"It was good. She's gonna miss us, but she was happy to be back."

"Good… I'm glad." I nodded at her. She looked at Dimitri and smiled.

"Can I borrow her for like… an hour?" She asked. He chuckled.

"She's your guardian. Do with her what you want." He said. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Get out of here, Belikov." I pushed him playfully. He chuckled.

"I need help picking a dress. I've got it narrowed down to three, and I can't decide." She told me. I nodded, and followed her to the throne room. She sat down, and grabbed her lap top pulling up the pictures. The first one was pretty, but it was very original, like a normal dress. The second one was beautiful. It was more modern, and had gorgeous detail. She pulled the third picture up and my jaw dropped. The dress was absolutely stunning, and was perfect for a queen.

"You really needed my help to choose? I pick that one." I said. She grinned.

"I know you would."

"It's gorgeous, why would I not?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I just wanted you opinion."

"What about bridesmaids dresses?"

"I've got those picked out already." She told me. They were all blue, and had elegant patterns on them. They came to just a little above the knee, and were very classy. I liked them.

"Want to see yours?"

"I don't get one of those?" I asked.

"My maid of honor will not be wearing the same thing as my bridesmaids." She told me. I smiled. She then pulled up another blue dress on her computer than was amazing. It was a lighter blue than the rest of the bridesmaids, almost as if to single me out, that I was the maid of honor.

"It's… It's gorgeous. I love it." I said.

"I thought you would." She told me.

"I do. I can't wait. It's going to be amazing."

"I agree." I told her. I hung out for a little bit longer, before I went home. When I walked in, Dimitri was asleep on the couch. I smiled, and went over to the fridge and grabbed a glass of tea before sitting down, and waiting on him to wake up.

**A/N: This is Rose's dress. **

**.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=/2011/01/09/blue-prom-dresses/&usg=_Cek72yTSEdMWfNujtOlZwKOU1_A=&h=400&w=301&sz=16&hl=en&start=62&sig2=xhKr88l0CDk-JxfMh0jXAg&zoom=1&tbnid=_GG0ubplByX0mM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=84&ei=9JjwTZqCGcaztwf_opDlAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3DBlue%2Bmaid%2Bof%2Bhonor%2Bdresses4%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7TSNA_enUS406US407%26biw%3D1345%26bih%3D526%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&biw=1345&bih=526&iact=rc&dur=130&page=3&ndsp=31&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:62&tx=40&ty=73**

**Then These will be the bridesmaids dresses. **

**.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=/2011/05/20/classic-and-contemporary-blue-bridesmaid-dresses-for-fall-and-winter-weddings/&usg=_-cbRW2zgBSRn_QdBGBpW68NkWSo=&h=666&w=500&sz=87&hl=en&start=14&sig2=5Sl-JszDZQ_INutKkheg9g&zoom=1&tbnid=ks8YelMjkJ1ICM:&tbnh=183&tbnw=138&ei=pZnwTezaHNKhtweIg92JAw&prev=/search%3Fq%3DBlue%2Bmaid%2Bof%2Bhonor%2Bdresses%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rls%:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7TSNA_enUS406US407%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D526%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=500&page=2&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:14&tx=116&ty=113**


	49. Lost It!

I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep, until Dimitri pressed a kiss to my forehead. I opened my eyes, and looked up to see I'd fallen asleep with my head on the counter. He smiled.

"Hey, when did you get home?"

"I've been here for awhile. I was waiting on you to wake up." I told him.

"You could have woke me up." I shook my head.

"I wanted to let you sleep." I said. He pressed a kiss to my lips, and smiled.

"Thank you for letting me take a nap."

"You're welcome." I told him. He smiled.

"You want to go get some dinner?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Sure." I told him.

"Somewhere other than the café." He said. I attempted to raise an eyebrow. "I want to take you out Roza." He said. I smiled.

"Why?"

"Because I haven't actually done anything for you in awhile." He said.

"Okay." I said. I walked into the bedroom, changing into something a little more appropriate. When I came out, he'd just finished getting dressed. I smiled.

"Don't you look sexy?" I said. He turned around and raised an eyebrow. Damn him.

"Thank you… Although I wouldn't use the word sexy with you standing in the same room." He said, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me. I giggled and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Have I told you that I loved you today?" I asked.

"I don't think so, but even if you have… I wouldn't mind hearing it again." I met his eyes with a serious intensity and smiled.

"I love you Dimitri Belikov."

"As I love you, Roza." He whispered, before pressing his lips to mine. I reached up and knotted my fingers into his long hair. When we broke away for air, he smiled.

"If we're not careful, we won't be going anywhere." I said. He nodded.

"Sorry. Are you ready?" I smiled.

"Sure am." I told him. He nodded.

"Then let's go, love." I threaded my arm through his, as we walked out, and down the halls of court. When we reached the van, I looked over at him.

"Where are we going to eat?" I asked.

"It's a secret."

"That's not fair. You know I hate surprises." I said. He chuckled.

"That's exactly why it's a surprise." I growled.

"Ass hole." I muttered. He smiled and poked me.

"You'll thank me when we get there." He promised. I nodded, and stared out my window, watching as we drove into the city. When we got there, I smiled. It was a little Italian restaurant that I'd been to when I was younger. Lissa's parents had brought me and her here before the accident.

"You've only been here once… when you were little… right?" He asked. I attempted to raise an eyebrow, and turned to look at him.

"How'd you-." I cut myself off. "Lissa."

"It's true. She told me. I wanted to take you somewhere nice, and she suggested this."

"Remind me to thank her later." I said. He nodded, and got out and came around to my door to open it. "Aren't you just a gentleman tonight?"

"I'm like this every night Roza." I smiled.

"Not every night." I said. His cheeks flushed a rosy pink color. I giggled as we walked inside. As I looked around, I remembered the place perfectly. When we reached the podium, Dimitri smiled at the hostess.

"Belikov." He told her. She nodded.

"Right this way, sir." She told him, leading us through the restaurant and out a back door, once a deck, overlooking a huge lake. I shook my head at him. Should have known he'd go overboard. "Your server will be right with you." She turned and walked away. Dimitri pulled out a chair for me and motioned me over.

"You wouldn't over-do it or anything, would you?"

"You can't over-do anything with you, Roza." He told me. I grinned. He took his seat across from me, and smiled. Our server arrived, and smiled warmly at me. He was a dhampir, probably about twenty three years old.

"Hello, my names Kevin, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get your something to drink?"

"Your finest bottle of wine, please." Dimitri told him. He turned to Dimitri and nodded once, before smiling warmly at me again, and walking away. I looked down. Dimitri glared at him as he walked back inside.

"He's rude." Dimitri said.

"Why?"

"Because he stares at you like that when I'm sitting right here." He said. I giggled.

"We've went out numerous times, and had waitresses that have stared at you like that. This is pay back for all those times." I said, winking at him. He rolled his eyes. The waiter brought back the bottle and set it on the table, taking the cork out and pouring us both a glass. He took our orders, smiled at me again, and walked off. Dimitri's face was livid. It was quite adorable.

"Your sexy when your all jealous and stuff." He growled.

"It's still rude."

"It's still sexy." I said, giggling. He rolled his eyes and took a drink of his wine. I giggled.

"To us?" I asked, holding up my glass.

"To us." He said. I grinned and took a drink.

"How do you think Bailey's doing?" I asked.

"She's good. Probably doesn't even notice we're gone. She likes it at school a lot more than she led on."

"I know." I said, sighing. "I miss her though."

"We all do." He said. The waited brought out our food, and set them down in front of us.

"Enjoy." He said. He turned and winked at me before walking away. Dimitri's face was priceless. He met my eyes, and I shook my head. Once he was gone, he narrowed his eyes at me.

"This is your fault." He told me.

"My fault?" I exclaimed. "How is this my fault?"

"If you wouldn't leave the house looking so… so damn sexy all the time, we wouldn't have this problem." He said. I giggled.

"Okay, It is my fault." I said, smiling. He chuckled.

"Exactly." He said. I shook my head.

"Your something else Belikov."

"So are you Belikov." He said. I smiled we ate our dinner slowly, savoring in being away from the craziness at court for a little while. When we were done, I took my glass of wine, and walked over to the railing, staring off into the lake. It was a full moon, so the light reflected off the water, making it lighter than normal outside. Dimitri came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I love you, Roza." He whispered. I turned in his arms and smiled.

"I love you too, Comrade." He pressed his lips gently to mine. The waiter then walked out the door and jumped.

"Oops. I'm sorry, to interrupt." He said.

"It's fine." Dimitri said, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes. Dimitri stepped away from me, while the waiter cleaned the table. When he walked away, Dimitri chuckled.

"You should be ashamed.

"Oh, can't you just see the shame rolling off me?" He asked, sarcastically.

"You've been hanging around me too much. My sarcasms rubbing off on you." I said.

"Maybe you should move out."

"I'll have my things out by morning." I told him, giving him my man-eater smile. "I'll ask our waiter if I can live with him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Dimitri growled.

"I'd have his head." I giggled.

"You're so cute." I whispered, touching his face. He smiled. I turned around, and looked out at the lake, smiling. He wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. As we stood there in silence, savoring in each other's presence, I was sucked into Lissa's head. The fear she felt was overwhelming, it almost brought me to my knees. She was running, he and Christian both.

"Lissa, go… Hurry." He said. Christian turned around and burnt what was chasing them to a crisp. _Strigoi attack. _I pulled out of her head to find Dimitri shaking me.

"We have to go. We have to go now… They're attacking court." I said. I was already running with him behind me. We bailed into the van, and went zooming through traffic. I went back to her head to find her and Christian and a few others in the throne room. _Adrian, where was Adrian and Viktoria._ No… God, please let them be safe.

"Are they okay?"

"Lissa, and Christian are… for now. They're hiding in the throne room." I told him, going back to Lissa. _Dammit, where are Viktoria and Adrian. _I was screaming in my head. When we pulled into the gates, I could see the strigoi all around. I pulled my stake and bailed out of the van.

"Rose, no... We have to get to Lissa."

"No… I'm not going to sit in a room and cower when they need help out here. You go to her."

"Roza…"

"Dimitri, go. You're hesitating. She needs you." I said. "Be safe… please." I took off running into the group of strigoi and guardian's fighting, taking out as many as I could. One grabbed me from behind, and pulled me backward. I swung around, catching him in the jaw. He stumbled back, and lunged for me again. I tried to duck under him, but it didn't work. He caught me in the jaw, causing me to stumble, but not falter. I came back at him with a kick right to the mouth. This was my moment. I dug my stake into his heart until I felt the life drain from him. I ripped it out and started after the next one. I took out at least five before I took off running into court. I ran to the throne room to see they were safe. I knew that much. _Adrian. _I took off running for the other side of court, not caring that I should have been inside with Lissa. I knew she was safe, that's all I needed. Adrian had to be safe too. Viktoria was taking care of him, right? _God, please let them be okay. _I prayed as I ran. As I made it closer to his room, I saw them. Viktoria was fighting, trying to keep him safe, but it wasn't working. Viktoria was losing. I pushed my legs faster, trying to get there before it was too late.

"Adrian… Run." Viktoria screamed. He tried to run around the strigoi and Viktoria, but the strigoi was quicker and stronger. He jumped towards Adrian and smacked him hard against the wall. I heard his head hit, and watched as he fell to the floor.

"Adrian… NO!" I cried. I tackled the strigoi into the wall, punching him as hard as I could. He cried out as I dragged my stake across his face, making his skin sizzle. He tried to get free, but I wouldn't let him. Finally, with tears streaming down my face, I dug my stake into his heart. I watched as the life drained from him, and he fell to the ground. The moment he fell, I ripped my stake out of his chest. I hit my knees. I heard running, but I didn't care. I crawled over to Adrian's body, and took his head in my lap. The back of his head was bleeding… bad.

"Adrian?" I whispered. I touched his face. "Adrian, come on… wake up." When I looked up, Christian and Dimitri were standing in the hallway.

"What happened?" Dimitri asked. I turned to Viktoria who was trying to catch her breath. I felt darkness raise its head inside me, and there was no stopping it.

"This is your fault." I said, standing up.

"Rose… I…" I shook my head.

"He could be dead because of you. This is your fault… You were supposed to protect him." I growled.

"I was trying. The strigoi was too fast."

"Too fast? No… You're just a horrible guardian. You were protecting a royal. You should have known what you were taking on and been ready for it. You're not a guardian… You're nowhere near ready to be."

"Rose… Stop." Dimitri said, coming towards me.

"Don't… Don't touch me." I snarled at him.

"Rose, I was trying-."

"You weren't trying hard enough. You should have been the one to get hurt… not him. It doesn't work this way. He could be dead." I cried, a sob forming in my chest.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

"That's not good enough." I growled.

"Yeah, and you being in love with him and married to my brother makes you not good enough too, doesn't it?" She yelled. This white hot rage entered me then. A red haze clouded my vision. I lunged at her, wanting to rip her apart. Dimitri grabbed me, and pinned me up against the wall.

"Let me go, Damn it." I growled trying to get out of his grip.

"Viktoria, go. Now." He yelled.

"Dimka… I'm so—." She shook her head, and started to walk away.

"No.. Don't leave, bitch. Let me teach you how a real guardian fights." I growled, calling after her.

"Rose, stop. This isn't you."

"Yes it is. I'm so sick of you telling me that it's not, Dimitri. This is me. This is how I really am. When I'm not being eaten up with darkness, I hide everything. This is how I really feel. This is what I'm really like. I'm a monster. You need to understand that." I growled in his face.

"You're not. I've been married to you long enough now to know." He said.

"Rose… you're not like this. This isn't you." Christian said. I shook my head.

"You guys have no idea what you're talking about… Now let me go." I growled, thrashing against his hold. He wouldn't let me go.

"Roza, stop."

"No, Dimitri… You stop. I'm sick of this shit. I can't take it anymore… let me go." I growled. I tried to hit him, but it didn't work. He wasn't close enough for me to head butt, so I was stuck.

"Rose." He said. I thrashed again. He then reached up, and smacked me hard, causing me to fall to the floor. I heard Christian gasp the moment his hand connected with my face. When I hit the floor, all the darkness faded away, and reality hit me like a battering ram. I sobbed, and crawled over to Adrian's lifeless body.

"Adrian…" I whispered. He didn't respond. I picked him up in my arms, not looking at either Christian or Dimitri and carried him down the hall and to the infirmary. The nurses went to work on him, looking at the damage.

"Is he… is he going to be okay?" I asked, tears rolling down my face.

"We think so… He's just unconscious from the hit he took. He'll wake up soon." She said. I nodded. I looked up in the door to see Dimitri standing there. We stepped outside of the room, and he looked at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, touching the side of my face.

"I'm fine… thank you… You pulled me out of that. I… I wanted to kill her. I wanted to kill you… I'm… I'm so sorry." He shook his head.

"You couldn't help it…" He said, of course taking the blame off me again.

"I… I lost it. My necklace must be running dry."

"I think so." He said. I looked in the room to see the nurses bandaging his head.

"Dimitri… I'm so sorry." I said, when I turned back to find him looking down. He shook his head.

"Don't apologize. He's your best friend. Your worried."

"I know… it's just. I tried to cut all ties to him, for you… I really did, but-." He shook his head.

"I love you… I know you love me too, but… You love him. I know that. You don't have to give that up for me. He's your best friend." He told him.

"It doesn't matter. I feel so wrong when-."

"Don't. He's your best friend, and you love him. You care about him… don't feel wrong. It's okay." He whispered, pulling me into his arms.

"I'm scared… what if he doesn't wake up. He smacked his head so hard… I just-." I buried my face into his chest.

"He's going to be okay." He whispered.

"I hope so." I cried.

"I'm going to go get you a change of clothes, and bring you some aspirin. You stay here with him, in case he wakes up."

"Are you sur-." He cut me off with a nod. He kissed me gently, and smiled.

"I'll be back." He whispered. I walked inside and sat down in the chair next to his bed. I took his hand in mine, and sighed.

"Please, wake up. I need you to wake up for me." I begged. I laid my head against his bed. "I'm sorry for everything I said. I need you to wake up. I need you in my life… I'm sorry I said otherwise… just please, wake up." I whispered.

"Rose?" I looked up to see Christian in the doorway.

"Hey." I said, wiping my eyes.

"How's he doing?"

"He's not awake yet." I whispered.

"He's gonna be okay." Christian said.

"Are you okay? I saw you ignite that strigoi. I know that takes a lot of energy."

"I'm tired… but I'm alright."

"Where's Lissa?"

"Sleeping? She had to run, and with the extra weight of the baby, she's worn out." He told me. I nodded. "Are you okay Rose?"

"I'll… I'll be fine."

"Rose." He said. I turned to him.

"Christian…. I'm going to be fine… I hope." I whispered. He walked over and hugged me.

"I'm here for you, Liss and I both are. You know that."

"I know." I whispered, as he turned and walked out. Dimitri came in, as Christian went out. He handed me the aspirin and a bag.

"I figured you want to stay the night so I brought you some clothes for in the morning." I nodded.

"Thank you." I whispered. He walked over to me, and knelt down.

"Any sign of him waking up?

"Nothing yet." I whispered. He nodded.

"It's going to be okay. He'll wake up soon, Roza." I leaned my head over against him.

"I hope so." I murmured. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. He yawned as he pulled away.

"Why don't you go home, and get some rest. I know you're tired."

"I don't want to just leave you." He said. I smiled and touched his face.

"I'll be fine. Go get some sleep." I stood up, and he stood. We walked right outside Adrian's room. "I had so much fun tonight with you. I definitely needed the quality time."

"Me too. I love you, Roza."

"I love you too. I'll be home as soon as he wakes up… Okay?" I whispered. He nodded. I reached up, and brought his mouth down to mine. "I'll see you soon." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Okay." He said, before he turned and walked away. I watched as he disappeared. I took a deep breath and walked back into Adrian's room, to wait for him to wake up.


	50. Bitch slapped!

I could feel myself drifting off. I had to keep smacking myself to keep myself awake. I couldn't fall asleep. I had to be awake when he woke up. I stared into his beautiful face, praying he'd wake up soon. I needed him to wake up. I needed him to be okay. I squeezed his hand in mine, and laid my head on his arm, allowing my tears to hit his skin. I knew I was breaking my rules, I knew I was doing what I said I wouldn't do, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore. All I cared about was that he was okay.

"Come on… please, wake up. I need you to wake up." I whispered, squeezing his hand tighter. I felt him apply a little bit of pressure back to my own fingers. My head snapped up.

"Adrian?" I whispered. I squeezed his hand and lifted it to my lips, kissing it. "Come on, you can do this… open your eyes, please." I whispered.

"Rose?" He croaked.

"Yes baby, it's me… Come on, open your eyes, I need you to look at me."

"I thought you said you couldn't be around me-." I cut him off by placing a hand over his mouth.

"I lied. I need you in my life. I couldn't go through with it. Adrian, right now… I need for you to look at me, please… open your eyes." His eyes fluttered, and opened. I smiled. "Adrian." I whispered. He smiled.

"Little Dhampir." He murmured.

"God, I'm so glad your okay." I whispered, squeezing his hand.

"There for a little while, I thought you were going to break my fingers."

"Oops, sorry." I said, releasing his hand.

"No…. No, it's okay." He said, grabbing my hand and holding it in his. I smiled although a tear slowly leaked down my cheek.

"I thought I lost you."

"The last thing I heard was you scream my name…" He said. He scooted over in his bed, and patted the empty space.

"Come here." I climbed up into the hospital bed with him.

"I don't know what I would have done if you wouldn't have woken up." I whispered.

"You would have gone on about your little happy life like you never met me."

"It wouldn't have been that simple. You don't realize how much you impact my life." I whispered. He smiled.

"That just made my day…. You know, aside from the whole being smacked around by a strigoi." He said. I sighed.

"I almost killed Viktoria."

"What?" He asked, seriously concerned. It bothered me that he was concerned for her more than it should have.

"Darkness came, and I just flipped. I blamed her for everything. I freaked out on her, and she smarted back to me, and… I tried to kill her. Dimitri stopped me, obviously." I said.

"You didn't hurt her… did you?"

"No. I didn't hurt her." I whispered. I wasn't going to add that I kind of wish I had hurt her.

"Your necklace is out." He said, touching the charm.

"Oh no… we're not doing this again. You're not charming anything. Not any time soon. You just got bitch slapped into a wall by a strigoi. You're not ready for that kind of stress yet." I said.

"Rose…" He started. I took his hand, and shook my head.

"Don't. I said no, and I mean it. If it means I have to be locked up with a bunch of strigoi intent on killing us again, then so be it." I said. He shuddered.

"Don't wanna go there again." He said.

"Me either." I said, smiling.

"Does Dimitri know you're here?"

"He does. He left earlier. He was here too." I told him.

"And he's… he's not flipping out or anything?" I shook my head.

"No, he isn't."

"So, we're all cool?" He asked.

"If you asking because you want to know if he's going to come after you, then yes… you're safe." I said. He smiled.

"Good." He said. I giggled.

"God, I'm glad you're okay."

"Where would you be without your sense of humor, Ivashkov?" I said.

"A big fat nowhere." He said. I smiled.

"You're probably right." He smiled, and shook his head."How's your head?" I asked.

"Throbbing, but no doubt, I'll live. Being bitch slapped by a strigoi isn't something I recommend."

"Definitely not. I wish you could have heard your head when I smacked the wall, god… I just knew you were dead."

"I may not have heard it, but I damn sure felt it." He said. I shuddered.

"I hated it. I took that strigoi out… like, with a fiery vengeance. I did you justice."

"Good to know." He said. I smiled. He reached up and touched my face. "Your cheek is bruised."

"Dimitri hit me." I said. Adrian growled, and for the first time ever, he actually looked like he could really harm someone.

"Why the fuck did he hit you?" He demanded.

"I was trying to kill Viktoria, and he couldn't snap me out of my darkness rage I was in, so he hit me. It was the only choice, or I would have hurt him, and her." I said. He frowned.

"I'm sorry."

"I deserved it this time." I said. He shook his head.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"About four hours."

"Have you been here the whole time?" I nodded.

"Yepp, sure have." I said.

"Go home and get some rest. I'll be outta here in the morning."

"I don't want to just leave you." I said. He smiled.

"I'll be fine. Go home to Dimitri. I'm sure he's worried." I sighed.

"Alright.. If you need me, you know where I am." I said. He nodded. I met his gaze for a second and smiled. I leaned down and kissed him quickly.

"I'm glad you okay." I said, as I crawled out of his bed, and walked out. I headed out of the hallway and to our room. When I walked in, all the lights were off, and our bedroom door was closed, but I was positive he wasn't asleep. I walked in, and dropped bag, crawling into bed beside him. He rolled over, and smiled at me.

"I take it he's awake?" I nodded.

"Yeah, he is." I said, snuggling up into his arms.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's back to his normal self." I told him.

"Is that good or bad?" He asked. I smiled.

"Definitely good." I said. I kissed his lips. "Thank you for letting me stay with him."

"You're welcome. I had a feeling if I would have told you no, you would have done it anyway." He said. I shook my head.

"If you asked me not too, I wouldn't have stayed." I said. He smiled.

"I know you would have. I was teasing." He murmured. He pressed a kiss to my lips, and smiled. "I'm glad everything worked out and everyone's okay." I nodded.

"I have to go talk to your sister in the morning. I feel horrible for the things I said to her."

"She knows it was the darkness." He said. I shook my head.

"You heard her snap at me… she believed me. I have to apologize." I said. He nodded.

"We'll worry about that tomorrow." He said. I nodded.

"I'm sorry I tried to hurt you earlier." I whispered.

"I'm used to it by now." He said, poking me. I rolled my eyes.

"I hate that I still get like that…. I wish I could—." I cut myself off before I could say something I regretted. If I made it stop, that meant the bond would have to break, meaning… Lissa or I would have to die, and that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

"If there was some way I could take the darkness away from you… I would." He murmured. I shook my head.

"No. Do you have any idea how hard it would be to stop you if you went on one of those rampages? You would murder the whole court before I could get a hand-hold on you." I said. He smiled.

"You may be right. You're easier to restrain."

"Yeah, and the longer you restrain me the more it pisses me off, and then… I get vengeful." I said. He chuckled.

"I know."

"This whole place would be fucked if you were eat up with darkness. You'd take each and every one of us out." I said. He chuckled.

"You're probably right." He said. I grinned.

"You'd go all bad-ass Russian god on everyone." I said, giggling at remembering what I used to say about him in school. He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said, smiling.

"No… tell me. What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I used to think of you as a Russian God back in school. I just remembered that." He laughed.

"I was hardly a God. Bad-ass and Russian, yes… God, no." He said. I giggled.

"God, I love you." I said. He smiled.

"I love you too." I snuggled up closer into his arms, and smiled.

"Goodnight my Russian God." I said.

"Goodnight my little Bad-ass." He murmured. I smiled, and buried my face into his chest.

**ADRIAN'S POV**

I went to her in her dreams, knowing she was probably upset if Rose blew up at her. Rose couldn't help it, but regardless… she'd still be upset. When I finally found her, she wouldn't look up at me.

"Tori?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Adrian, I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Hey… shhh, it's okay." I said, walking over and sitting down next to her. I pulled her against me, and smiled.

"It's okay. I'm okay."

"You… you could have been killed because of me." She whispered. I grabbed her face in my hands, and pulled it up to look at me.

"I could have been, but I wasn't. I'm right here, and I'm fine. I woke up about an hour ago. I'm okay now. I really am." I promised. She shook her head.

"Rose was right. I'm not ready to be a guardian. I don't deserve to be your guardian." I shook my head.

"Rose said those things because of the darkness, Tori. She didn't mean any of it. She loves you. You know she loves you."

"You should have seen her face. She… she tried to come after me. I don't blame her. I would have deserved it. I wouldn't have fought her." She said. I shook my head.

"VIKTORIA BELIKOV, you listen to me… What Rose said doesn't matter. She wasn't herself. What matters is what I'm telling you. I'm okay, I'm fine. You were almost killed again, trying to save me. I don't care that I got slapped around a little. I'm fine now, and that's all that matters." I whispered. She frowned.

"I'm… I just… I can't be your guardian anymore." She said. I shook my head.

"Viktoria, don't do this… I need you."

"You have Rose again. It's obvious she's back in your life now, and you love her. You don't need me. She'll protect you better than I can." She said. She was killing me. I shook my head.

"I don't want Rose to be my guardian. I want you, Vik. I want you to be my guardian."

"You don't mean that. I know you want her.." She cried. I wiped the tears from her face, and brought my mouth to hers, kissing her as sweetly as I possibly could, conveying everything I couldn't put into words into that kiss.

"Adrian… I…I.." I put a finger to her mouth, and shook my head.

"I love you, Viktoria." I watched as her eyes went wide, and more tears slowly leaked down her face. "I don't want to lose you. Please, be my guardian. Be my everything." She just smiled, and reached up, wrapping her arms around my neck, and bringing her mouth back to mine. I smiled against her lips. It was in this moment that I realized, I could move on from Rose. I knew she needed me to move on, and I needed to move on for me. I could do it, and I would. Viktoria could help me. She would be to me what Rose never actually could. When she pulled away, she grinned.

"If you didn't get it, that was my way of saying 'I love you too'." She said. I chuckled.

"Yeah, I think I got it." I said, pulling her into my arms. She smiled.

"Good." She said. She turned to kiss me again, but I was sucked out of my own dream when someone walked in the room. _Damn it. _I opened my eyes to see a nurse. She smiled.

"Sorry to wake you. How are you feeling Mr. Ivashkov?"

"I'm feeling better." I said, bitterly.

"I'm glad. Can you sit up for me please?" I sat up and the room started spinning. She grabbed me so I wouldn't topple over off the bed. "Are you sure your okay?" I nodded.

"Just a little dizzy. Can I go home?" I asked.

"Are you going to be able to get there on your own?" She asked. I nodded. If I was going to my own room, probably not, but since I wasn't going to my own room, yeah… I could make it.

"I'd feel a lot better letting you leave if you had someone to help you." She said. I smiled.

"I'll be fine." I promised. I got out of the bed, and stumbled my way to the door. I made my way into the Dragomir wing and to Viktoria's room. She opened the door before I even got there, and smiled.

"I felt you coming."

"Mind if I stay here tonight?" I asked.

"Not at all." She said, opening the door wider, and allowing me to stumble in.


	51. If I Knew Then!

**ADRIAN'S POV**

I woke up that morning with my head pounding. I guess having someone slam your head into a wall does that to you. I rolled over to see Viktoria snoozing quietly beside me. I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her, but the moment I moved, her eyes fluttered and opened.

"Hey." I whispered. She smiled, and rubbed her eyes.

"Goodmorning, How long have you been up?"

"Not long, just a few minutes. I was trying not to wake you." I told her.

"Nice try. I'm not a hard sleeper."

"I can see that." I said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. She reached up, and touched the back of my head gently.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. I flinched as her fingers hit my tender spot. She frowned.

"I'm okay. My head hurts a little, but I'll live." She nodded.

"I'll get you some aspirin." She said. I shook my head.

"I can get it. Where is it?" She smiled, and got out of bed, walking into her bathroom.

"You don't listen well, do you?" I asked.

"I only listen on rare occasions, this not being one of them." She said, throwing me that beautiful smile of hers. As she started into the bathroom, I grabbed her hand, and pulled her back to me.

"Where's my good morning kiss, Ms. Belikov?" I asked, smiling.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Lord Ivashkov." She said, pressing her lips to mine gently. I could still tell she was being hesitant with me, trying to keep from hurting me. Ugh, the Belikov women always worried about me. They'd all drive me mad, I swear. When she pulled away, she smiled.

"Forgive me?"

"Of course." I said, winking at her. She walked into the bathroom, and pulled a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet, and handed me two of them, and a glass of water. I took them and sat the glass back down.

"How are you doing? You were pretty beat last night." I said. She shrugged.

"I slept it off. I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?" I asked her. She nodded. When she turned and started away from me, I could see she was sort of limping.

"Tori, I don't take well to liars." I said. She smiled impishly.

"My ankle hurts a little bit. I'll live."

"I could fix it." I murmured.

"No, I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to help me. I'll be fine. I promise." She said. I growled.

"Why is it you Belikov women are always so against me healing you?" I asked, walking over to her as she sat down on the bed. I walked over to her, and frowned.

"Please… you've done so much for me. Please, let me fix it." I murmured. She shook her head.

"You gave me my life back. The more you do for me, just makes me feel like I owe you more and more." She said. She looked down at her hands, careful not to look at me. I pulled her face up to meet my gaze.

"Please? Let me help you." I whispered. She took a deep breath, and nodded. I took her ankle in my hand, and closed my eyes, letting my magic flow through her. She grinned when I released her.

"Thank you." She murmured, touching my face. She pulled my mouth to hers, kissing me sweetly. I smiled against her lips, as her tongue ran across my bottom lip. I opened my mouth wider, letting more of her in. When she pulled away, she smiled.

"I love you, Adrian. I'm so glad I found you."

"I love you too, and believe me… I'm glad you found me too." I whispered, pulling her into my arms.

**ROSE'S POV**

When I woke up the next morning, I was so sore. It felt like every part of my body ached. I groaned as I rolled over to face Dimitri. He smiled.

"Sore?"

"Very."

"Me too. Everything hurts." He said. I nodded.

"I know how you feel." I said, as I sat up, rubbing my neck. He smiled, and pulled me into his arms. I laid my head against his chest, and sighed.

"How are you feeling, besides being sore and all?"

"I'm alright." I murmured. He nodded.

"That's good."

"What about you?" I asked, looking up to meet his eyes. He shrugged.

"As long as you're okay, I'm good." He murmured into my hair.

"I need to get a shower, and then go talk to Viktoria." He shook his head, and wrapped his arms tight around my body.

"Nope, you're not going anywhere. Your mine today." He said, pressing a kiss to my neck. I smiled.

"You don't know how much I wish I could." I said.

"Roza, you don't have to go anywhere. You can always worry about Adrian and Viktoria later." He told me.

"I know, it's just-." He cut me off by pressing his lips to mine, kissing me all too persuasively.

"Okay… maybe they can wait till later." I whispered against his mouth. He chuckled as he kissed down my jaw, and neck.

"That's my girl." He whispered against my skin, causing me to shudder. He took my hands in his, and pulled me to sit up. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" I asked. He smiled, and pulled me into the bathroom, turning on the water in our bathtub. I grinned at him.

"Oh... I see where this is going." I said. He rolled his eyes at me. He walked over to me, and grabbed the brim of my shirt, carefully bringing it over my head. He let his hands trace down my body as he threw it to the floor. My muscles hurt like crazy, but he numbed every feeling in my body, except the fire coursing through my veins at his hand. I pulled his shirt off over his head, throwing it to the floor. We worked our way out of the rest of our clothes, and got into the bathtub. I lay against his chest, and sighed. The water helped unknot the kinks in my back. Dimitri rubbing my shoulders definitely helped a lot too.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Mhmm." I murmured. He chuckled.

"Good. You fought hard yesterday."

"When do I not fight hard?" I asked, grinning. He nodded and kissed the back of my head.

"Touché."

"I miss this, being able to do this with you. I'm glad you talked me into staying." I murmured.

"It didn't take much convincing." He said, pressing a kiss to my collar bone.

"Yeah, shut up. Let's not talk about this stupid power you have over me." I muttered. He chuckled.

"I love you, Roza."

"I love you too, Comrade." I murmured. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I still remember the first time you called me that."

"The day that changed my life forever." I told him. He pressed a kiss to my neck.

"I'd have to agree."

"You have too, your married to me." I said. He grinned.

"People get divorces, remember?"

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." I quoted him.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. I shook my head.

"I can't even picture my life without you anymore. I'm scared to think of what it would be like."

"Me too." He murmured. I smiled and laid my head against his shoulder.

"I'm so glad everything is back to normal."

"Normal, kind of." He said.

"Yeah, but I guess kind of is better than not even close to normal." I told him. He nodded in agreement.

"True." I laid back and sighed.

"I'm so happy everything has just sort of calmed down. I needed a break."

"You always need a break Roza, but you never actually take one. You keep going, always trying to make everything better." He said.

"It's my job to help people."

"But when you're doing all the helping, who's going to be there to help you?" He asked me.

"You're always there to help me."

"No, most of the time you won't let me help you. You have to do it all on your own." He said.

"I'm a Hathaway, it's what I do. You should have known that when you married me."

"I did. That's why I married you. It makes you strong, ruthless in everything you do. I married you because you had this fire in you that no one else has. It drew me to you like a moth to a flame since day one." He said. It made my heart swell when he talked like this.

"Can I ask you something?" I murmured.

"Of course, Roza."

"If you knew that all of this stuff was going to happen, like Bailey and darkness, our baby dying, me almost dying, us fighting, if you could go back, would you change marrying me? Would you take it all back?" I whispered. I remembered him saying something about this when he was drunk a while back, and it had eat at me since then. He chuckled, and pressed his lips to my collar bone.

"If I knew then, what I know now, I'd still fall in love."

**A/N: There you have it, the end of If I Knew Then. I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for following my story. I appreciate all of my reviewers and everything. You guys inspire me. **

**-April. **


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